Portal 1&2 Novelisation
by TomatoSoupful
Summary: (Both Portal games written as a novel) Memory-less and annoyed with the situation, Chell ventures through Aperture Science battling test after test after test. But what else is going on? And why is everything trying to kill her?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: A Portal Novelisation._

_I do not own Portal_

_Please Note: It is confirmed Chell can speak but she refuses to in the game. For the purpose of plot progression, she will be speaking. _

~o0o~

**TEST 00 –00/19**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

…_is a lie…is a lie…is a lie…is a_ –

There was a bright light above her. It stung at her flickering eyes. She heaved a heavy arm onto her face to block it. She felt rough dry material underneath her. A bed. She closed her eyes and blindly felt her surroundings, willing waves of tiredness away. Sliding her fingers she felt a glass container cocooned around the bed. When the last inkling of exhaustion slipped away, she slowly lifted herself up. Responding, the glass container unclicked and bloomed. Sitting upright, she sucked in fulfilling breaths, dimly enjoying each cup of energy it delivered. Her head was still fuzzy, as though stuffed with cotton wool.

Finally, she observed her surroundings. Cement walls boxed together to form a tight enclosed space. There were no windows. There was a shut circular door at the end of the room. A video camera was plugged in the wall above it. Situated at the centre of the room was a sealed see-through chamber. It contained a toilet, a bedside table with certain necessities and a bed, of which she sat on. Feeling a rush of anxiety and confusion, she eased herself up and inspected the chamber. No way out.

Finally, she thought. Shuffling through her memories, she could not remember how she came to be where she was, let alone knew where she was. She could not picture a family, she could not picture friends, and she could not picture home. All she was knew was her name: Chell. Identity discovery became Chell's top priority. A mirror provided one key element. She noted her olive skin, her tall and athletic frame, dull grey eyes and worn-out orange jumpsuit. Scratchy dark hair was tied into a high-pony tail, two locks of hair dangling by her ears. She frowned at her split earlobes.

Finally, she planned. As Chell picked up an empty mug, she tuned up the semi-circular radio. A jazzy fast-paced song pumped from the device, streaming from the antennae. A clipboard was beside it. There were images of stick figures in unpleasant situations, such as being knocked on the head by a cube. There was only one section of the thick glass chamber that was made from cement. Pulling together every fact gathered, Chell attempted a plan out of the place. Frustration began to boil inside as nothing resulted from her thinking process.

Finally, something occurred. A thin rectangular screen flashed numbers outside the chamber. **01: 00: 00:00**. Chell eyed the circular door, expecting someone to walk through. The numbers scrolled down, ticking off the milliseconds of the minute. Chell rolled up her sleeves to her elbows and knees. She was barefoot however there were strange dark devices surgically implanted into her legs. Chell seethed at the machines connected to her knees, feeling as though someone had invaded her personal space. They were two flexible curved pieces of metal, no thicker than the woman's ankle, that moved under her feet. Chell figured they were some sort of spring.

At **00:40:00: 00** a computer noise dinged from the speakers, followed by a recording. "**_Hello and, again, welcome to the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Centre_**." It was the typical robot recording, equipped with a female voice. Typical.

What was not typical was 'Aperture Science' sending a pang of familiarity through Chell. "**_We hope your brief detention in the Relaxation Vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper_**."

**00:32:05:47**. Chell could not recall whether she signed up for a test or not (although she could hardly recall anything at the moment. She blamed this 'Relaxation Vault'.)

"**_Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are primary goals of all enrichment centre activities, serious injury may occur_**–" **00: 17: 56:23**"–**_For your own safety, and the safety of others, please refrain from touching [bzzzz]_**"

The light bulb above spluttered and tiny flames sparkled onto the tiled floor. Chell flinched when a flame spat on her skin. She waited for the recording to repair itself. "**_Por favor bordón de fallar Munchos gracias de fallar gracias_**." The translation-failed sentence was sped up. It reverted back to English, "**_Stand back. The portal will open in three…two…one_**."

A harsh gasp blurted out of Chell. In a blink of an eye, on the cement wall in her chamber, a 'portal' was born from a single orange point that grew out into an adult-sized hole. It was boarded by a rippling orange ring. Chell's throat burned from her extensive gasping. On the other side of the portal, Chell could see the chamber and _herself_. Peeking past and through the side of the orange portal, Chell saw another behind it. It was blue. Chell's mind pieced the puzzle together.

The portals were doorways. The orange and blue portals were, in essence, two sides of a coin in different locations. Chell approached the portal and held her arm through it. Keeping her limb stationary, Chell stretched her neck to look at the blue portal again. There was her arm, on the other side, outside of the chamber. Chell hesitated only slightly before stepping through. She gazed into her chamber, like a caged animal freed from imprisonment, and moved to see the orange portal still shining inside.

Above the blue portal was another screen, tall, wide and rectangular. **TEST 00** was written on a white background, along with a series of pictures Chell saw on the notepad. All but two of the pictures of the unfortunate stick figures were grey, rather than black. Those that were black depicted a cube hitting someone's head, and a cube falling out of a cylinder container from a ceiling. Chell kept the warnings in mind as she exited the room through the now opened doorway.

In the other room there was another closed door. A line of small blue lights was rooted in the wall and ground, from the door to a large flat red button. A cylinder container also greeted Chell. A cube was sitting inside. The container's bottom opened its jaws and the cube dropped. As the container closed itself, releasing a steamy hiss, Chell picked up the cube. Its corners were bulked, like shoulder pads, and grey while the main layer was white. A symbol in a circle was in the centre of each cube side: a ring –the Aperture Science logo.

Chell placed the cube onto the button. A new sound bleeped, the lines of lights turned orange and the door opened in correspondence. "**_Excellent. Please proceed into the chamberlock after completing each test_**."

The recording was referring to a white cylinder-shaped elevator. Its doors opened. While Chell had succeeded in discovering a few things, a majority of the environment around her was extremely puzzling. Chell had a strange feeling the walls were not even made from cement at all. "**_First, however, note the incandescent particle field across the exit_**."

Chell did. Aqua blue blots streamed horizontally across the exit before the elevator. The dots disappeared and reappeared from devices on the wall. When Chell walked through nothing of significance happened to her. Upon standing inside the elevator the doors shut and the machine began its descent. "**_The Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grid will vaporise any unauthorised equipment that passes through it –for instance, the Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube_**."

~o0o~

**TEST 01 –1/19**

**NO WARNINGS**

Chell glanced down at the room below her. It was grouped into four sections, separated by walls. When Chell jumped down, the springs attached to her knees soaked up the impact and prevented any pain or force. To Chell's right there was a Weighted Storage Cube behind glass. This was the same with another red button to her left.

"**_Please place the Weighted Storage Cube on the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button_**."

Behind Chell was an orange portal. Instead of showing the other side of a blue portal somewhere, it was entirely orange. It made a sudden vibration movement and noise. The other side of the coin appeared in the cube's section. Five seconds later, it died away and resurfaced by the red button. It repeated that process one last time, in the last section where the exit door was. Chell understood the puzzle. She collected the cube, moved to the button, and to the exit using the changing portals.

"**_Perfect. Please move quickly to the chamberlock, as the effects of prolonged exposure to the Button are not part of this test_**."

~o0o~

**TEST 02 –2/19**

**NO WARNINGS**

"**_You're doing very well! Please be advised that a noticeable taste of blood is not part of any test protocol. It is an unintended side-effect of the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grid, which may, in semi-rare cases, emancipate dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel and teeth_**."

There were two floors to this test chamber. An orange portal waited above near the exit. In the middle was a machine rotating at fixed times. It was pointing a white gun to each side of the room. A build-up of blue dots emerged from the end of the gun, followed by a colour-coordinated beam shooting straight into a wall, creating a blue portal. Chell grinned triumphantly. The device could help her get out of this place.

At the correct timing, Chell moved through the portals to the gun. She fitted her hand into the gun, its white case enveloped around her wrist and hand. "**_Very good! You are now in possession of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. With it, you can create your own portals_**."

Inwardly, Chell swore. Collecting the portal device had been part of the recording's plan. Chell was not going to give up however. There was still a chance the gun could somehow be used to her advantage.

"**_These intra-dimensional gates have proven to be completely safe. The Device, however, has not. Do not touch the operational end of The Device. Do not look at the operational end of The Device. Do not submerge The Device in liquid, even partially. Most importantly, under no circumstances, should you [bzzzz]_**."

Chell waited for the recording to continue after its hiccup. Nothing. Chell moved through the grid, the Portal gun safe and sound like her, and caught the elevator down to the next test chamber, thinking hard on potential escapes.

~o0o~

**TEST 03 –3/19**

**NO WARNING**

The test room was an L shape. At the corner was an orange portal.

"**_Please proceed to the chamberlock. Mind the gap_**."

There was a gap in between Chell and the portal. It was as though the level was unhinged from the rest and dropped down a few metres. Chell jumped to the other side using her newly acquired gun. Another gap was between her and the exit. Growing a blue portal by the exit, the young woman strolled right to it without any hassle. She stepped into the elevator.

"**_Well done! Remember: Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day is the perfect time to have her tested_**."

This had Chell's mind reeling. She wondered if she had a daughter. She wondered if she was, perhaps, the daughter of a worker here. Her memory card was unresponsive and unhelpful.

~o0o~

**TEST 04 –4/19**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

Chell almost scoffed at the supposed warnings. Avoiding dropping cubes was hardly necessary to point out. "**_Welcome to Test Chamber Four. You're doing quite well_**." The young woman questioned why organisations bothered adding remarks such as that. Anyone would know the recording was not a human with a conscious speaking to them, so why add the extra characterisation? Not to mention, it felt patronising.

The test was simple. A drop in the floor where the Storage Cube was. An orange portal waiting for its blue companion. Chell activated the blue portal, with which the cube moved through and landed on the top floor. Placing the cube on the button that activated the exit door, Chell listened for the voice in the recording to speak.

"**_Once again, excellent work._**"

It was then, Chell noticed a video camera eyeing her. She glared at the device, hoping she could send her distaste to those in charge and what she exactly thought of their test and their fake-friendly recording. "**_As part of a required test protocol, we will not monitor the next test chamber. You will be entirely on your own. Good luck_**."

~o0o~

**TEST 05 –5/19**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

Chell figured out the next test in no time. There were three layers –main floor, a drop, and two raised platforms. A storage cube was on one, an orange portal by the other. Two red buttons were connected to the exit door. The second cube necessary sat at the bottom of the drop, calling out like a princess lock in a tower (Chell felt like one but no prince was going to save her). By applying the portals, Chell collected each cube and attached them to their allocated buttons.

Expecting the Emancipation Grid and elevator, Chell was surprised to find herself inside a small room with a glass ceiling. She could see the real exit in the extra room above. "**_As part of a required test protocol, our previous statement suggesting that we would not monitor this chamber was an outright fabrication_**."

An orange portal opened. Chell used her blue door to get out of the tight cage. As she headed towards the elevator and grid she rolled her eyes at the recording, "**_Good job! As part of a required text protocol, we will stop enhancing the truth in three…two… [bzzzz]_**"

The recording hit another hiccup. Immediately, suspicion bubbled in Chell's chest. She rubbed material from her jumpsuit between her fingers. She took a deep breath. The enclosed test chambers smelt like nothing. It was stale and uninteresting. Chell pondered over the recordings. How much of it were recordings? Were the watchers speaking through a computer in response to her actions?

~o0o~

**TEST 06 –6/19**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

Chell bulked. The voice had mentioned the possibility of sustaining serious injury but death had not been brought up previously. Chell inspected the test chamber. A majority of the walls were black metal, materials portals could not instigate from, Chell discovered after a quick trial. The ceiling was the typical cement portal-usable walls however. On the ground was an orange portal. Above it was a round machine with two claws clapped together in front of its hole. The claws opened and a ball of golden light and energy floated straight down. It hit the portal then moved back up. It turned into a tennis match. On the other hand, beside the orange portal, was a similar machine, with the exception of the claws. Seeing the line as the bridge between the exit and that machine, Chell quickly figured out the answer to the puzzle. However, she had bigger things to worry about.

Just as she was about to demand an answer about the death device, the computer voice spoke, "_While safety in one of many Enrichment Centre goals, the Aperture Science High Energy Pellet, seen to the left of the chamber, can and has caused permanent disabilities such as vaporisation_."

Gulping at the danger Chell stayed as far as she could from the pellet, applying the blue portal and sending the dangerous energy ball to the other machine. It activated a lift that rose up to the second floor where the exit was. As Chell took it up she listened. "_Unbelievable! You [louder] Subject Name Here [/louder] must be the pride of [louder] Subject's Home Town [/louder]_."

~o0o~

**TEST 07 –7/19**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

Jumping onto a platform would be needed in order to reach the exit on the second floor, with the walls not being portal-conducive. The platform, however, did not have the ability to move up and down but rather horizontally, riding on a stream of blue light. The energy required to make the platform move was to come from a receiving high-energy pellet catcher. "_Audible warning devices are required on all mobile equipment. However, alarms and flashing lights have been found to agitate the high energy pellet and therefore have been disabled for your safety_."

Chell positioned the blue portal to catch the pellet from its mother machine, allowing the orange portal to send it to its catcher. However, there was still another part of the test. "_Good. Now use the Aperture Science Stationary Scaffold to reach the chamberlock_."

Chell activated a portal on the ceiling, above where the platform (sorry, the _stationary scaffold, according to the speaker_) would position at a particular point. Looking down the orange portal, Chell readied and jumped down when the time was right. Onwards.

~o0o~

Instead of moving to another text chamber, Chell was brought to tiny room where a bed, bedside table and toilet were begging to be used. It was then Chell realised how tried she was, despite who-knows how many hours she slept before. According to the voice, Chell was to rest and resupply her body with nutrients. A bit of wall moved out and up to allow a tray of food and water to slide into Chell's present dormitory (cage). Accepting the impromptu resting opportunity, Chell placed the portal gun to the side, ate, relieved herself and slept.

~o0o~

**TEST 08 –8/19**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

Upon waking up the following day (Chell assumed it was the 'next day'), the young woman felt surprisingly fresh and active despite her current life problems. Being stuck in an enclosed building with no understandable way out, forced to endure tests with questioning survival possibilities was not entirely pleasant and Chell would rather be somewhere else doing something else. Shoving down a bland breakfast, the woman and her gun was brought to the next test chamber.

"_Please note that we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an 'unsatisfactory' mark on your official testing record followed by death. Good luck!_"

Chell peered over the balcony railings and cringed at the pool of poisonous liquid boiling like a witch's craft below. It was a mixture of bruised purple and rotten green colour with hot steam billowing and dispersing the higher it climbed. It stank terribly, the smell putrid and sour, stinging her nostrils and watering her eyes. Chell spotted a video camera to her right. She hit it with a portal, causing it to unlatch. "_To ensure the safe performance of all authorised activities, do not destroy vital testing apparatus_." There was another camera at the exit.

Chell kicked her captured camera off the ledge and watched it fall into the liquid. It dissolved in seconds, like sugar in hot water.

A stationary scaffold was positioned high above the liquid. A receiving pellet catcher, unpowered, was by it. To Chell's close left, from the balcony, was a pellet delivery machine, shooting the energy balls to the far end of the test chamber. Lastly, an orange portal sat a few metres away from the delivery machine but not close enough to shoot the pellet straight to the receiver. Chell used her portal to pick up the pellet, sending it through the orange. She changed the blue portals position right across the receiver so that when the pellet bounced back to the orange, it made it to its home machine, switching on the scaffold.

Chell applied a portal near her and stepped onto the platform, out of the orange portal. She changed the blue portal to where the scaffold would move to and eventually made it across. "_Very impressive. Please note that any appearance of danger is merely a device to enhance your testing experience_." The appearance of danger, they say. Chell remembered the way the camera disintegrated.

~o0o~

**TEST 09 –9/19**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

"_The Enrichment Centre regrets to inform you that this next text is impossible. Make no attempt to solve it_."

Chell's dark eyebrows furrowed. She observed the chamber closely. It was small, with a single high raised platform accompanied by an orange portal. A Storage Cube and its vent were to the left. The Emancipation Grid was also there, but the red button was past it and then the elevator beyond that. Chell experimented, taking the Storage Cube to the Grid. Like the camera, at slight contact, the cube burned black and dissolved away in blocks until there was nothing left.

"_Once again, the Enrichment Centre apologised for this impossible test_."

The young woman did not buy it. She could hardly imagine why the Enrichment Centre would build a test chamber and keep it impossible –why would there be no amendments? And, of course, the most important factor: this was probably also a test. Chell collected a new Storage Cube and moved through her blue portal up top to the platform. Above the Grid was an open window to the other side, where cement walls beckoned. Chell applied a blue portal and pressed the button down.

"_Fantastic! You remained resolute and resourceful in an atmosphere of extreme pessimism_."

~o0o~

**TEST 10/19**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO FLING FROM HIGH LEDGES**

The stick figures in the two images were making use of the portals. Both had cliff points, with a portal above and below it. One stick figure was jumping down and the other was jumping out the top portal, an arrow pointing ahead. "_Hello again_–"

Before the voice could continue Chell spoke, for the first time since awakening, "Who are you?"

"…_To reiterate our previous warning: this test [garbled] momentum [garbled] [bzzzz]_."

"Hello? Answer me! Who are you?!" Chell sighed in disappointment. Anger tempted the woman to scream at those in charge, to tell them to stick their test up certain places. On the other hand, Chell understood that approaching a situation with a calm head and a determined disposition would result in a better outcome…plus a better chance of survival.

The exit was too high up for Chell to reach, even with the provided stairs that did not reach to the bottom floor but jeered and teased the woman who could not grab it and climb up. Portal application was an absolute necessity again. Detecting the orange portal up above the entrance door, near the ceiling, Chell practised the stick figures' theory and activated a portal where her feet were. Immediately, she fell through and began to dive down. Breathing hastily and acting quickly, Chell fixed up another portal where she was to splat and flung through the orange again.

The momentum from the fall pushed Chell to the exit. The springs below her feet, surgically attached to her knees, stole the force and impact and saved Chell from breaking any bones. She stumbled however, overwhelmed by the recent event, and leaned against the wall, her lungs taking twice the amount of air. She felt the adrenaline rush pulsing through her blood stream, pressing at her fingertips. Her forehead was damp, her hair a tangled mess, and her jumpsuit a tad rumpled.

Once Chell's body had reverted back to normal pace, the woman continued onward. She was forced to repeat the action again, from a much higher ledge. She swallowed thickly, trying to ease the intense dryness of her throat. Rubbing her eyes, Chell wanted to yell at the voice to shut up, "_Spectacular, you seem to understand how a portal affects momentum or, to be more precise, how it does not_."

After the third time, with the Enrichment Centre checking that the rules of momentum jumping had been engraved in Chell's brain, the woman sat down, dangling her worn-out legs over the edge. The exit was behind her, but she was not willing to move onto the next test. "_Momentum, a function of mass and velocity, is conserved between portals. In Layman's terms, speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out_."

Chell huffed heavily, questioning why the workers of the Centre decided to add a sarcastic characteristic to the recording. And if it wasn't a recording, and someone responding through a computerised voice, why the Centre allowed such tones and words to be spoken without worthwhile punishment (because, quite frankly, Chell was sick and tired of such behaviour).

~o0o~

_To be continued..._

_Describing the puzzles and chambers are seriously difficult_


	2. Chapter 2

_Still don't own Portal. _

~o0o~

**TEST 11 –11/19**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

The poisonous liquid was back, cooking away and sending tremors of fear through Chell. She could see another portal gun down below. It rotated and shot orange portals across the place at specific locations. Chell recalled a test previous and similar to this one, using timed portals to reached separated locations in the test. She turned on a blue portal and waited for the orange portal to appear at a safe location.

There. Chell could see a pellet catcher on her left with a shut grey door above it. Ahead of her was another shut grey door that led to a room behind a glass wall. Inside was a pellet deliverer. A stationary scaffold was stuck by the block where the portal device was. Chell realised how to power the scaffold and use her portals to do so.

"**_The Enrichment Centre promises to always provide a safe testing environment. In dangerous testing environments, the Enrichment Centre promises to always provide useful advice. For instance, the floor here will kill you –try to avoid it_**."

Where Chell was, was a switch, a small red button. It was attached to a thin podium. When Chell pressed it, the grey door ahead of her opened. Chell grew a portal inside the glass room with the provided opportunity. When the orange portal came to her place next round, she made it through. She crouched down when the golden pellet bounced close to her figure. She disrupted the tennis match, snaking the pellet through a portal. It re-emerged outside and into the receiving catcher.

Perfect timing was on Chell's side. The now un-stationary scaffold touched the wall where the orange portal made its appearance so she could land on it. As the scaffold brought her closer and closer to the orange portal gun, Chell felt excitement brewing inside. Soon she would have possession of both portals. Perhaps then, even if it was due to the Centre's plans, Chell could figure a way out of this crazy prison.

When Chell finally laid her palms on the device, glad it included the blue portal she ditched her old gun and fitted the new to her arm, feeling like an oddity, a cyborg of sorts. Her fingers traced the two triggers for the two coloured portals. "**_As part of an optional test protocol, we are pleased to present an amusing fact: The Device is now more valuable than the organs and combined incomes of everyone in [louder] Subject's Home Town here [/louder]_**."

Another switch opened up the last grey door. Chell made a blue portal there, then caught the scaffold across to a wall and opened up an orange portal to get by. Chell smiled victoriously at the extra power in her hands.

That extra fact provided by the speaker, while overall unimportant, had added an extra spoonful of ego.

~o0o~

**TEST 12 –12/19**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO FLING FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

Chell reluctantly strolled into the newest test chamber, unhappy at the metal walls. She uselessly shot at the walls. The hand-size blob of energy bulged. Then it morphed into a beam that would counter off the metal surfaces before dying in flickers. It grated Chell's nerves seeing her only valuable item made hopeless. Her mood didn't improve when the sound of static invaded the silence through the speakers. Chell hoped the Centre would repair those recordings already.

"**_[bzz garble] f-fling [garble] fling [garble bzz]_**."

Stairs sloped down to a low floor but there was also a section of a wall usable to propel herself. Chell sparked the orange portal there then jumped down, soaring through her bloomed blue portal. She reached the second floor and did the same action again in order to get to the third. A red button greeted her in its lonely cube-less state. Turning around, Chell found the apparatus vent on the upper fourth floor, only obtainable through another round of flinging.

Once the cube and button were reunited like long-lost lovers, Chell gave them space and propelled back to the fourth floor where the exit was. As she did, she heard the speakers give a click and the female voice go, "**Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee [bzzz]**."

Faintly amused but more befuddled at the voice's enjoyment, Chell proceeded to the elevator.

~o0o~

**TEST 13 –13/19**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

A tray of food met Chell once she left the elevator. She was provided a set of steaming vegetables, a good-sized loaf of bread and a steak. A cup of water was the icing on the cake. Chell's stomach soon felt as content as the completed tests. Not knowing what to do with the empty tray, the woman simply removed it from her sight, tucked it away in a corner.

"**_Now that you are in control of both portals this next test could take a very, VERY, long time_**."

Chell snorted, betting she could make that voice eat her words. Chell placed her weight on the red button and saw its power line leave the room, out beyond the glass wall, to a larger chamber. It opened the exit to reach there. Above the woman was a balcony, holding a Storage Cube hostage, which was easily defeated through portal usage so Chell was able to make it into the larger chamber in less than a minute. Chell was feeling darn confident in quashing the voice's proclamation.

"**_If you become light-headed from thirst, please feel free to pass-out. An intubation associate will be dispatched to revive you with peptic salve and adrenaline_**."

Despite the test chamber's slightly complicated appearance Chell recognised that there was always a simple solution to these quizzes. Two raised platforms. Both had a red button to provide a cube with. A delivery machine at the back wall and a catcher on the floor –easy handled through transporting portals. This caused the stationary scaffold to begin its horizontal journey back and forth, giving an enthralling ride to a Storage Cube. Chell placed a portal above to land on it, then above a button to bring the cube to its rightful throne.

Now to collect its queen. Chell recalled the original cube. Once the king and queen were ruling their miniature and downright unpleasant kingdom, Chell migrated onto the elevator. "**_As part of a previously mention required test protocol, we can no longer lie to you_**."

"Then tell me this, where am I?" Chell answered back loudly. "Who are you? And why am I here? Let me out!"

"…**_When the testing is over, you will be missed_**."

~o0o~

**TEST 14 –14/19**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO FLING FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

It was a long dark hallway, dimly lit and irritating at first glance. The exit was so close yet so far, too high even for Chell's height with only a motionless scaffold. Naturally a catcher was going to energise the machine once it was given its prey. It just happened to be past a large gap in the floor. As Chell hopped over to the other side she realised just how appreciative of the portal gun she was. It made life in this dull place so much more bearable…and survivable.

"**_All subjects intending to handle high-energy gamma leaking portal technology must be informed that they MAY be informed of applicable regulatory compliance issues. No further compliance information is required or will be provided and you are an excellent test subject!_**"

Instantly, Chell's mood went foul. She still did not forgive the voice for ignoring her. There was no question, there was a conscious person at the other end of the speakers. These 'recordings' were not at all of that nature. People were watching. Chell had not said anything but she could see the windows. Obviously, she could not see past them but she was certain people could see her: looking, peering, observing, noting, theorising… everything about this place was wrong. And just like these test chambers, Chell was going to solve this mystery.

Another door that was to lead to the delivery machine was locked by a lonely super button. Past the gap, to the left was extra space. On top a hill of metal was a Storage Cube accessible only by portal flinging. Feeling her patience thinning, Chell ran through the non-exit door, down a corridor and found where all the poisonous goo was. Raising and lowering scaffolds gave Chell a nostalgic gaming experience as she skipped across, releasing a surprised gasp when leftover liquid stung her bare feet.

Having found the delivering machine, Chell was not looking forward to leaping back. And it was not as though she could use the portals. She had attached one to where the high-energy pellet was bouncing off in order to make a door to the catcher. So, after a few minutes passed, Chell grudgingly made like a frantic chicken, and crossed to the other side. "**_Very, very good. A complimentary victory lift has been activated in the main chamber_**." Chell arrived back in the main chamber to find her scaffold moving like it was performing a victory dance in her honour.

~o0o~

**TEST 15 –15/19**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO FLING FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

After a much-needed toilet break, Chell readied herself up for the upcoming test. She inspected the test sign and noted with eagerness that she was nearing the final test. Hopefully then she could obtain some answers. Apparently calling out to the voice was a lost cause but if there was one thing Chell was certain of, even in her memory-less state, was her stubbornness and that she did not give up easily.

The key to breaking someone was letting them believe they had won.

"**_The Enrichment Centre is committed to the well-being of all participants. Cake and grief counselling will be made available at the conclusion of the tests. Thank you for helping us help us all_**."

Chell perked up at the mention of cake. Something in her mind kicked and screamed like a toddler. It was crying for attention, as though pleading to be heard. Chell could not recall why something as simple (and delicious) as cake could form such an active response in her crinkled organ. Like most things, the woman could do little else but advance.

Flinging herself past an enormous Emancipation Grid was her first step. Once over Chell would have a hard time returning since, meeting the Grid halfway up, was a glass wall. The portal blobs reacted to glass like the metal, producing a bothered scowl from Chell. Moving along, two smaller Emancipation Grids split a room into three. In one was a pellet deliverer, and the other had a catcher. Chell hummed thoughtfully, watching how her portals died away once crossing through a grid. After much thought, the most she's had to apply so far, she figured it out.

An orange portal collected the high-energy ball and the blue sent it towards the catcher, which of course, missed because it was on the floor. It bounced off the wall and back to the blue portal. However, Chell moved through the grid, destroying the portal, bringing back the ball. So Chell activated a new orange portal where the ball would hit and then the blue portal on the ceiling. She succeeded in channelling the ball to where it belonged.

The next challenge felt like dealing with screaming children, it was beyond frustrating. Chell tried to fling herself once again to fly through the Emancipation Grid but the floor was metal. The springs under her feet protected her bones from snapping. Luckily, before Chell could snap herself, she peeked through a tiny corridor which led to a dip –where she needed to drop in order to fling.

A growl emitted from the young woman. Another high-energy ball puzzle was waving for attention. The only issue was that the receiver and deliverer machines were right next to each other. The high-energy ball floated through another Emancipation Grid to where two slabs of wall were pushed out and angled. The ball hit the left one, was slammed into the side wall, losing its calm momentum before scurrying above in a clueless daze, eventually dying in a miniature explosion.

Boosting over to it, Chell knew what to do. A piece of memory supplied the knowledge that she used to play with physics toys like this when she was younger, encouraged by her father who was a physicists. Chell stilled. She could not bring up the image of her father's face nor any other facts pertaining to the man but she knew his one occupation. That was something.

She made a blue portal on the side walls, relying on the high-energy pellet to hit the first angled wall, go through the magic doorways and have its direction changed by the other angled wall to shoot straight into the catcher. When she returned to where the high-energy machines were, she saw the hazard goo frothing cunningly in the narrow hallway. The energy pellet had activated a scaffold to bring her through the cornered corridor. The only problem was, it was going the wrong way, as though leading some random person from the other end to Chell's.

A blue portal was made at the far end and an orange portal on a nearby wall. Chell waited and peeked through the orange, waiting for another scaffold to emerge. And it did. She leapt on, making a new portal at the freshest corner in her experience so that when she returned to the original orange, she could advance further. The last part of the test involved leading a high-energy ball to its catcher behind a grey door, while required pressing a switch. With a time limit, it took Chell a few more minutes than regular to solve it.

As she caught the victory platform up, spying the blue particles of the Emancipation Grid soaring casually, the conscious voice said, "**_Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science self-esteem funds for girls? It's true!_**"

At this very moment of her life Chell was certain that all her vital organs were staying where they belonged, snug tight inside her body.

~o0o~

**TEST 16 –16/19**

Chell knocked on the blank screen, hoping it would charge it up. However, the test chamber warning screen still remained asleep. She called out for the voice's attention. "**_Due to mandatory scheduled maintenance, the appropriate chamber for this testing sequence is currently unavailable. It has been replaced with a live-fire course designed for military androids. The Enrichment Centre apologises for any inconvenience and wishes you the best of luck_**."

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE SENTRY TURRETS**

Her heart beat throbbed painfully in her eardrums. Chell leaned her forehead against the screen, feeling the beginnings of defeat trickling inside. The tests had been hard enough, pushing her knowledge, observation and planning skills, and athleticism to the ultimate peak in order to avoid death –death by high-energy pellet, death by poisonous goo, death by height, and death by simple stupidity. And now, death by bullets was being added to the mix.

However, her fear flipped and revealed its other side, like a coin and like the portals: there was bravery. There was, as well, the will to survive. Breathing steadily and stretching her limbs, Chell patted her portal gun soothingly before facing the newest test chamber.

From first appearances, Chell gathered that the chamber was similar to a maze. The only obvious difference was that some particular walls were see-through glass. So Chell was able to take a look at the Aperture Science Sentry Turrets. They were small, only reaching the height of Chell's knees but it was clear that there was something off and deadly about them.

The turrets were almost diamond shape, with their top and bottom pointed but the sides flat and round to give the robot a slender shape. They were also tripods. Their 'legs' were black, long and sharp like spiders legs, forming a distinct contrast with their white smooth bodies. At the front, in the middle, was a single red 'eye' with which a red beam corresponded where they were looking. At least that aided in Chell on how to avoid their sight. The woman gave a short cry when one turret noticed her. Only the bullet-proof glass saved her. On the turret's sides were chassis, their 'arms' so to speak, which opened up to reveal a gun in each wing. Once the turret lost sight of Chell, it folded its arms back in.

Chell was thrilled to see that the first turret to cross her path had its back to her.

"_Hello?_"

The woman almost had a heart attack when she realised the turret spoke. Its computerised voice was also female but childish and innocent in its tone. Chell did not reply back to it. Instead she kicked it. The turret fell onto the ground and into a massive panic attack. It gave a whinging cry before shooting erratically all over the place, as though trying to get one last strike. Luckily, it was still not facing Chell, so the human was safe. "_Why?_" it sighed before deactivating.

Moving on, Chell found herself in trouble when the following turret would be able to see her. It seemed the corners of the maze were specifically designed to provide some safety network. "_Search mode activated._" By peeking out only her portal gun, Chell was able to create a portal doorway that would bring her behind the turret. "_Target lost._"

This time, Chell picked up the turret. Like a shocked cat, the turret's eye scurried about the place, a soft warning ring channelling from the weapon. "_Put me down!_" A puff of air seeped from Chell's nostrils due to her amusement. The turrets were a lot more entertaining than they were supposed to be, probably. She dropped it. It repeated its defeated sister's reaction, "_Owowowowow!_" It shut down. "_Critical Error_." Chell defeated a few more turrets easily.

Then two turrets were introduced, like terror twins. The turrets faced each other, both at one end of the hallway. Chell was protected, once again, by bullet-proof glass but if she moved too far right she would be easily targetable. Chell hummed with interest when she spotted three Storage Cubes huddled together. What was most peculiar was that the cubes were keeping a piece of the wall unattached to the main section. Chell could see inside. Believing she had found a way of escaping, Chell climbed over the cubes and crawled into the innards of the test chamber.

The walls were dark and rusting at their tips. Tubes and pipes dominated the area, filling up most of the space alongside abandoned crates. Sweat glistening on Chell's skin cooled her down thanks to the large fan above. Chell's mouth fell when she turned and saw a wall covered with drawings. Some of the images appeared to be made from dried blood, others, a black crayon of sorts. Someone had crazily scribbled images of the turrets, writing in scratchy letters, "HELP!" and pointing red arrows to a poster showing off a slice of chocolate cake. But most of all, the person had written dozens of times:

"**The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie**…" on and on it went, sending alarm bells off in Chell's head. She could not stop staring at the sentence, trying to make sense of such a claim. She recalled the voice mentioning cake earlier but was that truly related to this and, if so, why the fuss?

…_is a lie…is a lie…is a lie…is a lie…_ Chell gritted her teeth. She explored the small room, seeing a pan, numerous empty cans of beans and cartons of water. She inspected the state, feeling the moisture of the bean sauce, and concluded that the person surviving here hadn't left that long ago. Chell felt a desperate need inside to see someone, another human being. She needed company. Chell glanced back at the deranged drawings on the wall –it seems the previous human was desperate too.

Despite Chell's frantic attempts at finding another way out, without going back to the test chambers, the woman had no choice but to continue through stage 16. The crazy human who had once roamed this place had left handy hints behind. They had scribbled a red X spot on the ceiling, directly above both turrets in the hallway. "_Are you still there_?" "_Helloooo_?" Chell dropped a cube with a portal onto both turrets, effectively shutting them down. She applied this tactic with the following turrets that gave each other plenty of company. "_Ouch!_" "_I don't blame you_."

A whole pile of Storage Cubes were discovered. Chell hardly knew what to do with all of them. She poked at the vital apparatus, to see it was broken in any way. Apparently yes. Another radio had been left sitting on top, king of the cubed mountain. It was still playing that fast-paced music. On the other side of the bullet-proof glass Chell saw three turrets. It took a lot of diving and dodging, near deaths and hits, before Chell got two turrets. Just as Chell moved out to activate a blue portal above the third turret, she slipped, slamming hard onto the floor.

"_There you are_," the turret chirped innocently…

…Before shooting. Chell tried to scurry out of the way but a bullet managed to lodge itself into her right thigh. She screamed at the invasion, trying to release as much pain as she could through biting her bottom lip, fisting her hands and simply not moving her leg now that she was out of harm's way. Chell was a mess, her body shaking as though stuck in below freezing temperatures. A terrible stinging pain was burning the hole in her thigh, as though sending waves of poison throughout the rest of her body. All the while, her brain was panicking, begging her to do something, to survive. When Chell finally managed to gain control of herself again, she eased herself up, gasping and crying out at every movement.

Blood poured freely from the wound, the jumpsuit soaking up the liquid. Thinking and acting fast, the injured woman tore a strip of material off at the bottom of her jumpsuit, around the ankles. She ripped material around the wound and then wrapped her extra around it, tightening the hold. This, hopefully, would limit the bleeding. She applied pressure to the wound, trying to contain extreme behaviour –don't go into shock, don't go into shock, don't go into shock.

Amongst all the pain and fear there was an intense fury frothing like a rabid dog in Chell. There was no way a pathetic little robot was going to defeat her. She had come too far. "H-hey! …Hey! Answer m-m-me! Now! Whoever you are, talk!"

"**_The Aperture Science Enrichment Centre apologises for any inconvenience_**."

"Don't give me that," Chell griped. "P-p-please, I-I won't be able to do more tests if I die. Please. Give me medical h-h-help. _Please_."

Only silence answered. But Chell waited and waited, staring at the video camera as it stared at her. The pain was unbearable, tears were prickling her eyeballs and threatening to trail down her cheeks. She needed help now. Just as Chell was about to shout again, a piece of wall clicked up and a white box with a red cross was shoved into Chell's side. The young woman gaped at the sight. Mumbling a "thank you" she opened up the box and took in the supplies granted to do.

While Chell wanted to regain her memories and understand more about herself, learning that she had a good level of medical training via near death experience was rather an unfortunate turn of events. She did not bother holding back her dirty tongue as she poked and prodded her wound, searching for the bullet. She plucked it out soon enough. It looking like a cherry. Tossing it to the side, Chell focused on bandaging her wounds. Once done Chell simply wanted to rest. However she knew that the test had to be finished.

Slowly Chell raised her body and limped to the doorway. "_Are you still there? Would you come over here?_" Exploiting the robot's reaction time, Chell activated a blue portal above it when she dropped a cube down the orange portal she purposely pegged the machine. However, Chell still had two more turrets to dispose of, sending portals through vents in order to reach them. There was no surprise trouble with the last bunch and using portals to travel through the chambers faster definitely aided in Chell's quest.

"**_Well done android. The Enrichment Centre once again reminds you that android hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance_**."

Without a doubt, _that_ was a pre-recorded message. Chell was pleased to find, not a test chamber, but a bed, bedside table and a toilet the elevator brought her to. She was also gifted with food and water and more medical supplies. What especially rang a bell was some sort of gel with high-success rate healing abilities. Heals painful wounds in a matter of days it preached. Chell smothered the gel on, preventing herself from crying out as she did, and crashed into a fitful sleep.

Chell remained in the box that was her room for 3 days before being sent out –good as new.

…_is a lie…is a lie…is a lie…is a lie…_

…_.the cake is a lie…_

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't own Portal. It would be pretty cool though. _

_I seriously hope this isn't boring you guys too much._

~o0o~

**TEST 17 –17/19**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

There were times when Chell could not believe the wealth and worth of the portal gun. Such as right now as she was walking down a black metal corridor, in the beginnings of the 17th test. Nothing could enhance a portal in this section which just straight up bothered the woman. She took note of the vital apparatus vent above her head and then read the test screen, unhappy to see high-energy pellets were back in action.

"**_The Vital Apparatus Vent will deliver a Weighted Companion Cube in three…two…one…_**"

Mind the Storage Cube, the screen said and had said many times previously. Chell rubbed the top of her head, feeling shame and embarrassment colour her cheeks. She made a promise to never make such a fool of herself again. Standing underneath the vent and forgetting about it: what an idiot. Chell went to glare at the Storage Cube but blinked in surprise at the small changes to this particular one.

It had a love heart. A soft baby-pink love heart had replaced the Aperture Science ring logo. The same pink boarded the cube like hugging arms. It almost gave the cube a soft squishy appearance. Chell couldn't help but forgive it for bruising her. A Weighted Companion Cube the voice called it. The woman picked up the cube, rolling it with her fingers like a skewer. "**_This Weighted Companion Cube will accompany you through the test chamber. Please take care of it_**."

It became apparent early on that the Companion Cube was to be a vital aspect of the test. There were ledges too tall for even Chell which required her to leverage herself up with the help of the cube. It felt strange in an odd way to get help from an inanimate object. Next she had to navigate down two long corridors. Both had a delivery machine at the end. Chell used the Companion Cube to shield herself from the pellets. Before going down the second one (which would have her walking backwards to face the machine), the voice added more information.

"**_The symptoms most commonly produced by Enrichment Centre testing are superstition, perceiving inanimate objects as alive, and hallucinations_**." Chell thought back to those befuddling 'artworks' in Test Chamber 16. "**_The Enrichment Centre reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube will never threaten to stab you and, in fact, cannot speak_**."

When Chell made it to the main testing area, she squished the Companion Cube underneath her armpit to keep it close and reviewed the place, examining every tiny detail. There were three lowered platforms that needed to be raised via active catcher machines. Once raised the platforms should lead Chell to the finish. Chell found the first two catchers. One was behind two sealed doors that needed weight on super-buttons to open (Chell patted her cube) and the other required an angled portal and bouncing the pellet. So Chell did that first. Then she set up a portal at the end of the closest corridor. Enhancing the cube's protective nature, Chell had to carefully position herself so she could create another portal for the second delivery machine. She placed the Companion Cube and herself on the Super Buttons, watched the pellet go through and succeeded that mini mission.

"**_The Enrichment Centre reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube cannot speak. In the event that the Weighted Companion Cube does speak, the Enrichment Centre urges you to disregard its advice_**."

Before Chell went to power up the third catcher, she saw another opened wall. Chell tried to crawl her way inside. But the space was too small to get in without the handy portal gun. Inside, Chell felt her heart cool, as well as her grip tighten on the Cube before releasing it. It clattered loudly on the ground. Chell memorised every image on the wall. The test subject had gone mental inside, drawing the Companion Cube over and over again, then encircling them with love hearts. There were pictures of men and women on ads and calendars with pictures of the Companion Cube taped over their heads. Love hearts littered the wall, over the repeated scrawl, "**The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie**." Lastly there was the surveillance camera, a pretty common sight in all test chambers. "**She's always watching. Stop watching me!**"

Chell breaths quivered. She picked up the cube. Her hold around the cube strengthened as she held it close to her chest. She rested her chin on the cube's surface. It felt like she was being hugged by a close friend. With no way out other than in, Chell activated the last catcher by using the cube to hit a pellet its way. Jumping across the platforms, Chell nearly fell off and most likely kill herself trying to save the Companion Cube from meeting the same fate. Another button beckoned the Cube. A pang of jealous hit. It was like the button was some prettier girl stealing her closest companion.

"**_You did it! The Weighted Companion Cube certainly brought you good luck_**." Chell grinned at the cube, proud of their success. "**_However, it cannot accompany you for the rest of the tests and, unfortunately, must be euthanized. Please escort your Companion Cube to the Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator_**."

Chell saw that the button powered up a door to a switch. She pressed it and saw a large round machine open up. It was like an enlarged trash bin…if trash bins had incredibly high temperature radiating from inside and possible flames licking the walls, as though starving. Chell's stomach quenched as she stared at the cube. She couldn't, could she? It was a Companion Cube after all. It was her friend, the only thing in this lonely, blank, cruel place. But it was an animate object…well, you can't say for sure, right?

Then Chell remembered the drawings. Feeling conflicted yet frightful of the cube, Chell picked it up and brought it over to the incinerator. She gulped, muttered an apology and let it go. Once her Companion Cube was gone, Chell swore at herself for actually apologising.

"**_You euthanized your faithful Companion Cube more quickly than any test subject on record. Congratulations_**."

Chell left the test chamber feeling like a traitor.

~o0o~

**TEST 18 –18/19**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO PROPELL FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE SENTRY TURRETS**

Chell could not believe what this science facility was thrusting upon her. Every single warning sign was prominent in this test…except, Chell's heart skipped a beat. The last sign depicted a slice of cake. She swallowed thickly, her eyes darting back and forth as she scanned the first chapter of test 18.

"**_The experiment is nearing its conclusion_**." That's right; Chell was up to 18 out of 19. Despite her disadvantage there was no way she was ruining this now. "**_The Enrichment Centre is required to remind you will be baked [bzzz] [garble] and then there will be cake_**."

Portal usage safely brought Chell to the other side. She felt superior to the hazard liquid protesting down below, upset that its favourite prey had escaped. But what really grabbed the woman's attention was another secret den. Instead of being hidden behind portal walls, black metal reflected the woman's figure in distorted shapes as she shuffled through on her belly. It was mostly empty with only a handful of cans but it was the stained white door at the end that had Chell's smiling. She ran to it, rightly predicting it to be locked. She kicked it, hard. It did not budge. The door was made from metal. Chell seethed, caressing her injured toes. Not broken luckily. Chell continued trying but after numerous minutes, she was forced to retreat and battle out the test.

As though an earthquake had rumbled past, the following platforms were high-raised and jumbled up, muddling up Chell's portal application slightly. She had to constantly create a portal above the platform and go through via the ground then ceiling. Her stomach swooped like a bird of prey every time she had to bend to gravity's will. The hazard liquid steaming below made the action all the more less challenging and strenuous. It was also especially frustrating when Chell found the locked exit –there was a part two to the test.

Flinging herself up to the last level Chell found the super button but had no cube. But at the press of a switch that moved a wall piece out and up, Chell was able to sneak under it and through. Chell only _just_ missed being shot at by multiple turrets. She managed to position herself safely out of the five turret's eye sights. From her limited space, Chell examined the place.

Hazard liquid being its lovely poisonous self down below: check.

A wall piece that moved and had enough height to propel Chell to the other side: check.

A stationary scaffold only powered by high-energy pellets: check.

A delivery machine rotating and spitting out pellets: check.

And a catcher behind a grey door that needed the flirtation of a switch to blush and open: check.

All of that along with the turrets and the vital apparatus vent clearly visible on the other side, Chell realised this was the section of the test chamber that utilised every hazard. At least there was a bit of the ground free from the poisonous liquid. The 'other side' was two stories, the bottom one was only accessible through jumping off the stationary scaffold. The top was reachable through flinging. Chell opened up a portal where the first turret's eye beam of red light landed on the wall, then added the second portal where a pellet was heading towards. This had the pellets floating straight in the turret, pushing it on its high horse and into the hazard liquid.

"_Noooooooooooo_!"

Chell did this with the rest of the turret team.

"_Why_?"

"_Oh no!_"

"_Heeeeeeeeelp_!"

"_Ahhhhh!_"

Next, Chell had to act fast. She had to use the portals to reach the height of the switch to slide open the grey door. Then she quickly formed portals to collect a pellet and send it flying through the door during its short time limit. When it worked, Chell congratulated herself. Her latest achievement had shut off the deliverer so she was no longer in danger of getting vaporised great) and it powered up the scaffold (double great). Chell jumped onto it and leapt onto the bottom floor of the 'other side'. Another switch was there which made the wall piece Chell past to get into this place, push out and up –which could provide the leverage she needed to fling. Chell placed a blue portal at a side wall and then an orange next to the manipulated wall. She activated the switch, travelled over, and made a new portal, then dived down to that non-liquid-touching ground and flung over.

Chell tripped over the Storage Cube. She cursed and wished for the Companion Cube's return.

She took the scaffold back with extra company. Then had to redo the whole flinging action once again in order to open up the wall so she and the cube could exit the place. Chell slammed the cube down onto the super button, gladly watching the exit door reveal itself in its most beautiful form: unlocked. Chell's mood, however, was crushed, spat on and suffocated within an inch of its life when the young woman stepped through into another section of the test. It wasn't over yet.

Chell gave a loud groan. She groaned even louder when she saw that it was similar to the first section with multiple high-raised platforms, except they were much smaller and required constant flinging to make it through. Finding the massive dip Chell birthed a blue portal on the first small platform then accepted gravity's proposal and dropped down. She shot out of the blue portal and aimed a new orange portal at the next platform. Slipping through the two faces of the coin, Chell did this again and again, her stomach feeling worse and worse like someone was fisting it, along with her state of consciousness losing control. She was getting dizzy and struggling to keep sane. At last, Chell made it to the exit. Her brain felt like it was roller-skating in her skull. Chell remained flat on her back, just allowing her body to get back to normal. "**_Well done! Be advised that the next test requires exposure to uninsulated electrical parts that may be dangerous under certain conditions. For more information please attend an Enrichment Centre Electrical Safety seminar_**."

~o0o~

**TEST 19 –19/19**

**APERTURE SCIENCE HIGH-ENERGY PELLET DEVICES PRESENT**

**MIND HIGH-ENERGY PELLETS –INSTANT DEATH**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**CAKE PROVIDED**

Chell's heart was dancing. A grin had spread across her olive face. This was it. One last round and her days of testing would finally lay to rest. She could get out of this joint and discover her life. Forget solving tests, Chell had memories to recover. Her moment of rejoice halted when she noticed the final 'warning.' So, the cake was making its appearance. Quite frankly, Chell was looking forward to it. It better be vanilla flavoured, her favourite.

"**_Welcome to the final test. When you are done, you will drop the Device in the equipment recovery annex. Enrichment Centre regulations require both hands to be empty before getting any cake can be served [bzzz] [garble]_**."

Practically ignoring the voice's words, Chell directed a pellet from a deliverer to a catcher through portal use and the angled floor. That didn't take long. There had been lots of practise after all. The pellet triggered scaffold movement. As the young woman skipped onto it, she inspected the narrow corridor it was leading her down. Limited space plus hazardous liquid underneath. A grey door was the first bump in the road. There was a wing to Chell's left with a switch. She jumped to it, hit the button and saw that it barely kept the grey door open. She opened a blue portal beyond the door then an orange portal. When the scaffold came by, emerging from under the grey door, Chell got back on board.

Her second issue: a pellet. It was bouncing crazily back and forth between a delivery machine and the other side of the corridor. Too bad, it was a narrow thin corridor. So there was no way Chell could duck or wait for enough time and space to safely cross. So Chell opened a portal and animated another further away. Once the pellet was somewhere else, Chell put the blue portal far away behind her so it would further its tennis match away from her. Success!

Third problem strolled on by. Or, rather, it wouldn't move. It was a wall blocking her path. Chell knew the answer straight away: an orange portal beyond it and a blue portal on that wall. The only worrying issue was nearly falling off the platform so she could get onto it beyond the blocking wall. It was all so confusing. Chell smirked when, at the end of the corridor, surrounded by black metal, was a picture of cake slice. She had done it. Chell saw another wing with a slot to place the portal gun, just as the voice had instructed. Chell saw the surveillance camera looking. Scoffing, the woman disconnected the camera with her portal. The voice prattled about it. Chell was, in no way, going to give up this portal gun. She might land in a situation requiring her to threaten someone with it. So, better have a weapon. Chell got back onto the scaffold, towards her victory.

Chell had completed all the tests! Now to get some cake.

"**_Congratulations. The test is now over. All Aperture Technologies remain safely operational up to 4000 degrees Kelvin_**."

Just as Chell was about to ponder such a statement, the scaffold turned a corner and Chell's smile crumbled into an expression of blank horror. The scaffold was leading her straight to an incinerator. Tall viscous flames crackled at the air, hungrily stretching out for whatever it can consume. Its intense heat bristled at Chell's skin. The young woman was frozen stiff, gob-smacked at what she was seeing and at what she was moving towards. What was going on!?

"**_Rest assured that there is absolutely no chance of dangerous equipment malfunction prior to your victory candescence_**."

"N-no…" words stammered pathetically from Chell's mouth, "W-wait!" Panicking she fretfully shot portals at every direction. Because of the material of the walls, no portals were formed. "No! No!"

"**_Thank you for participating in this Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment activity. Goodbye_**."

"G-goodbye!?" Chell yelled. "No! Don't do this! Don't!"

Chell scrambled uselessly on the scaffold. There was nothing she could do! Every second she drew closer and closer to death by flames. "_Don't_! NO!"

It was amazing that in her desperate state Chell's keen eyesight was able to see a balcony up ahead. There were portal-usable walls! She spotted more walls of that nature at the lower end of the incinerator, close to the flames. Taking the risk, she created her bridge and dived for it. Her body smacked the safe floor. She cried out as a flame bit her bare feet but Chell was able to retreat from it. She scrambled away, breathing hysterically at her near-death and in shock over this Enrichment Centre's attempt at murder.

"**_What are you doing!?_**" the voice blurted out, ruining her professional mask. "**_Stop! I-I-I-I-Iiiiiii_**…" the voice's electronic voice sped up and transformed into static as though there was some sort of malfunction. Chell sat up, her body was still trembling.

Suddenly, the voice cleaned up its mess and said, after a long pause, "...**_we are pleased that you made it through the final challenge where we pretended we were going to murder you_**."

All this did was offend Chell. Did the voice honestly believe that Chell was that gullible? Chell was supposed to have abandoned the portal gun back before the incinerator. She was never meant to have the Device in her hands upon falling into the flame's clutches. It also didn't help that the voice sounded as though it was making things off the top of her head. She had obviously not expected Chell to play out the way she did.

Chell spotted a door at the back. She slammed her body against it once she found out it was locked. "**_We are very, very happy for your success…we are…throwing a party in honour of your tremendous success. Place the Device on the ground then lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will arrive shortly to collect you for your party_**."

The young woman was not falling for it. Giving up on the door, Chell searched for any other means of escape. "**_Make no further attempts to leave the testing area. Assume the party escort mission or you will miss the party_**." At the top of the room, above where the scaffolds emerged from test chamber 19, Chell saw the innards of the building. The outer shell, the walls, was removed, as though torn. Instead of obeying the voice's advice, Chell flung herself over.

Chell grunted when she bashed into a pipe. Rust chewed her fingers. She observed her surroundings and saw, to her greatest relief, that there were ways out. It was not just one spot like in past chambers. Passing through a corridor, Chell attempted to climb up some stairs to get to the second floor however the stairs collapsed. She just used the portal gun. But best of all, when Chell made it to the top, there was a door and it opened.

~o0o~

**ESCAPE!**

Her heart was beginning to take notice of the situation. It proceeded to pump faster and louder. The door led Chell to another room, built the exact same way as the last. The door in this one was locked terrifying the woman for a second, before she realised how handy the portal gun was when it could shoot through an iron gate and create a portal beyond it. After that, Chell was introduced to a large hall with a giant fan too busy in motion to take notice of her (or, it wasn't sort of alive like the turrets, the woman reconsidered). A blue portal crossed the fan and Chell stepped through it. She quite liked the breeze it made, rustling her hair and cooling her down.

"**_Hello?_**"

She couldn't help it. Chell actually released a short cry in shock.

"**_Where are you?_**"

There was, at least, something or someone on Chell's side. The voice had yet to land her location.

"**_I know you're there. I can feel you here_**."

Chell halted. How could someone _feel_ someone's presence? Was the voice –the person –here? Chell whirled around, her portal gun poised, as she searched for another human being. Her search ended fruitless. "**_Hello?_**"

She refused to answer back.

Her feet were so close to touching hazardous liquid that Chell had to stop her process for a moment and recollect herself. Transporting herself to a catwalk thanks to her portals, Chell invaded a few office rooms, aiming to find out of the truth behind Aperture Science. She filtered through their files, understanding little of what they were on about and especially wondering how sane they all were. In the name of Science, they proclaimed. So, in the name of Science, they were willing to perform tests on people –physically, psychologically and emotionally? Chell read a gruesome report on how human bodies reacted to certain elements of the periodic table such as nitrogen, aluminium, gold, etc. Chell even found a report on slicing up people under the knife and replacing certain organs with machines, just to see how the body reacted. What was most striking was a name that showed up consistently in the files: Cave Johnson. And, on the odd occasion, Caroline and Doug Rattmann. This Doug Rattmann felt especially important to her.

Once Chell had completed her scavenging she continued her impromptu escape. In another room the woman was pleased but perplexed over instructions provided, shining light on paths of escape. She recognised the style and handwriting of the drawings. Perhaps the drawer hadn't been that insane after all. The instructor informed her with an arrow and '**EXIT!**' that there was another path on the top floor only obtainable through portals.

"**_What are you doing? You haven't escaped, you know_**."

Small doses of fear crept coldly into Chell's confidence. Her legs kept moving however.

"**_You're not even going the right way_**."

Chell elevated herself up another floor. She pushed out the voice's words.

"**_Hello? Is anyone there?_**"

She couldn't believe her failing luck. It had shone so brightly, as strong as a star, guiding her safely (as safe as possible) through the innards of this Enrichment Centre. But, like all stars, it reached its peak before dulling. Chell cursed the locked door, exploding over the uselessness of a door's inclusion when they were not even accessible. She leaned her forehead against the wall before glancing up with her stomach dipping.

**The cake is a lie.****The cake is a lie.****The cake is a lie.****The cake is a lie.****The cake is a lie.**

She was _not_ going to go insane. The cake may be a lie but her freedom was not.


	4. Chapter 4

_Yep, still not owning Portal. But hey, this is the final part of the first Portal game. Such an excellent game. _

**LET'S TRY THAT ESCAPE THING AGAIN**

A Storage Cube breezed by.

Chell peered over the railings, watching as more Storage Cubes drifted by, seamlessly, in a tube larger and thicker than Chell herself, like aquatic animals caught in a current. Anxious to proceed in some form or another, the woman grabbed a lonely pipe and smashed a hole in the tube. Chell then slowly eased in before being snatched up by the tube's force. It glowed red around her and she traversed peacefully through the tube. She steadied her breathing, remaining calm in such tight spaces. Right, left, up, left again, until Chell's feet made contact with stationary ground.

Looking down Chell pieced together that she was just above a vital apparatus vent. With nowhere else to go, the woman squeezed herself in the vent. It opened its jaws and Chell collapsed through. She recognised where she was instantly: test chamber 09, the supposedly 'impossible' test.

"**_Okay. The test is over now. You win. Go back to the recovery annex for your cake. It was a fun test and we're all impressed by how much you won. The test is over. Come back_**."

The elevator out of test chamber 9 was gone. All that was left was a 'secret passage' back into the Centre's innards. Chell doubted the voice would be oblivious to her constant disobeying for long.

"**_Uh oh. Somebody cut the cake. I told them to wait for you, but they did it anyway. There is still some left though, if you hurry back_**."

Chell was getting real sick and tired of the voice's intrusion.

After some impressive movement and dodging, riding large pistons and crossing over them like they were stepping stones, Chell stepped through a portal to get past a vent and to the following room. She grimaced at the load of massive pistons, hissing, as they grew up, and then retreated back down like curious snails. "**_You're not going the right way. Where do you think you're going? Because I don't think you're going where you think you're going…Hello?_**"

At least ignoring the voice provided Chell some satisfaction and entertainment as she climbed the pistons, exploiting their growth to get to the hallway up top. A few twists and turns later Chell came across more big pistons. She tilted her head, only just seeing where she needed to go. Her only problem was that her path was prevented by multiple layers that would require portal usage and riding the pistons. She made an orange portal on the second layer and, with the limited walls, made a blue right where a piston would smash into. There was a risk Chell could get crushed but with good concentration, it could get done.

"**_Didn't we have some fun though? Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said, 'Goodbye' and you were like 'no way' –_**" Chell flinched at the voice's sudden drop in pitch, resulting in her line to turn demonic and evil. It reverted back to its normal state to say, "–**_and then I was all, 'we pretended to murder you'? That was great_**."

If that was the voice's opinion of great then Chell didn't want to know what she considered spectacular…or dull. She wondered whether survival was a cliché to this being. Up and up Chell climbed, crying out when she was nearly crumpled by a piston. But with the wonderful gift of flinging, Chell made it through with an A+. She continued flying through the course with bright colours (however that saying goes, Chell wondered), passing by dangerous machinery and offending pistons with her portal gun. Not to mention, there were more scratchy drawings giving advice in order to win.

"**_You shouldn't be here. It isn't safe for you. It's not too late for you to turn back. I'm not angry, just go back to the testing area_**."

Chell rolled her eyes before flinging herself onto the next section.

~o0o~

**THIS ESCAPE PLAN IS KINDA WORKING**

There was enough space for Chell to wrap her body around the Storage Cube tubes and slither along, like some awkward snake. The tight spaces still wasn't doing Chell justice but the red and orange glow radiated ridiculously into her eyes, like the entire building was against her. What was worse was that the tube squiggled into a room with hazardous liquid bubbling underneath. Chell was required to leap onto a bottom tube. A scream erupted from her when she nearly lost her balance, nearly falling into the poisonous goo. "**_I feel sorry for you, really, cause you're not even in the right place. You should have turned left before. It's funny, actually, when you think about it_**."

Chell's grip on the piston steadied her balance as it delivered her to a catwalk. "**_Someday we'll remember this and laugh. And laugh. And laugh. And laugh. Ooooh boy. Well. You may as well come back_**." The voice was running out of ideas.

The woman's escape went for a coffee-break when Chell found something. Through a small vent she could see another hideout where the drawer must have hidden. Chell squirmed through hoping there was a potential ally inside. No. All that was inside were empty cans and cartons of water. But no drawings occupied the walls, surprisingly. Chell picked up another object. She fiddled with it, rolling the container in her hands. Ziprasidone, the label said. Shuffling through her knowledge, Chell remembered that Ziprasidone was an antipsychotic medicine for schizophrenia. Chell began to seriously pray she had not just been following advice from a mentally-ill person.

Afterward, Chell received quite a scare when the pistons she was walking across opened up and trapped her in an isolated room. There were three shut doors. Purple smoke sizzled out of the first door as it rose. "_There you are._" The woman shrieked when a little turret spotted her and fired. Chell's back ached after she smacked into a wall, a safe place. "_Are you still there? Hellooooo?_"

Chell defeated the turret through portal-application. She picked it up, "_Put me down_" and flung it across the room. "_No!_" Another door opened.

"_Won't you come over here? Come on,_" turned into a babyish cry.

"_Target lost. Where are you?_" also had a life-changing grammar transformation into "_Who are you?_" and "_I don't blame you._"

Squinting her eyes, Chell saw portal-usable wall. Where the third turret had sat, if someone, say like Chell, looked up there was a way out. When Chell made it through, her body was spun around due to mixture of velocity and motion. Her vision spun as she recomposed herself. She saw a bunch of sleeping turrets huddled together like penguins in a cage. At the same time, the voice said, "**_You're not a good person. You know that, right? Good people don't get up here. Can you hear me!?_**"

Chell could hear her but what she heard the most was the unusual anger and bitterness seeping through the voice's words.

Later, after a few more close encounters with lone turrets, and some nice flinging action, Chell was sneaking through some silent creepy offices. When she examined whatever computers were still in action, all she found was a cake recipe. She frowned, growing increasingly frustrated with her situation. Now that she had defied the Centre it was not as though she could ask for food, water and rest. Chell did not have all the time in the world.

"**_This is your fault. It didn't have to be like this_**." Chell threw open a door. "**_I'm not kidding now. Turn back or I will kill you_**."

It was like hand had slapped Chell's cheek. Fear clawed at her. "**_I'm going to kill you…and all the cake is gone…you don't even care, do you?_**"

Chell couldn't help but ask herself if risking her life was worth it.

"**_This is your last chance_**."

…Yes. Of course it was. Running around test chambers was something Chell could hardly call living.

~o0o~

**STILL ESCAPING?**

Her adventures through the land of boring offices ended when Chell passed through an Emancipation Grid and a door. This brought the woman to a switch. There was a glass room in-between Chell and the exit. She held the button down and waited. A round mechanical ball rolled up from the ground inside the glass room. It was attached to a stick of a machines with multiple knuckles to extend its flexible neck. Its oil green eye had a beam of green light looking where it was.

It found Chell.

The machine beeped. Its light burned red.

And launched a rocket.

A strangled gasp raptured from Chell as she avoided the shattering glass. Bits of debris cut her face and hands. Smelling blood and even tasting it as she licked her lips, Chell dodged another incoming rocket. She saw how the machine's eye rotated robotically towards her. The woman sparked an idea and stood in front of the other glass wall. She escaped the next rocket. Once that was clear, Chell was going to continue her journey but found, in the next room, another glass wall.

She built an orange portal then moved back to the rocket machine, making a blue portal and hanging about in front of it. Moving away, Chell watched, triumphant, as a rocket travelled through the portals and smashed the glass. And when she learnt that a Storage Cube was necessary to shift forward through a vent, Chell created another portal to send a rocket into a Storage Cube tube.

Chell seethed at the fan the vent brought her to. She shot a portal beam past it, crawled back to where she came from and made the other portal. Shockingly, Chell had discovered an underground sewerage system where all the hazardous poisonous goo was stored. Thick drops could be heard and a draining pipe was added to the symphony of slimy music. There were high-raise blocks that Chell could access to get through but she did so with ease, afraid of slipping on grimy substances. Overall she was very wary of liquid in the Centre.

So when she got to the next part, landing in a river of green liquid, Chell's first instinct was to panic and escape. She scrambled like a dying animal, scratching at the tall walls to get out, only for her brain to catch up and go, 'now hang on…' It wasn't poisonous. Chell sighed with relief, and then called herself stupid for not applying her portal gun to get out. The massive hall she was in got a whole lot worse when the 8 grey doors showed its content: turrets.

**10 minutes later…**

"_Put me down!_"

"_Uh oh._"

"_Deploying…are you still there_?"

"_Critical Error_."

"_I don't hate you._"

Ten minutes had gone by and Chell had only traversed a little way's further. She was secretly afraid of finding out just how large the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre was, especially when she emerged into an enormous space where she could not see the bottom and top and they were shrouded in darkness. Chains dangled from the ceiling, jingling with rusting columns. The place smelt of rotten food. And all it did was bring Chell to more offices. Chell couldn't imagine working in a place such as this.

There was a window! Chell's eyes widened at the view. It was not of outside but of another expansive place with hazardous liquid. It was dark and quiet. Silence. There was a long passage to the main round room stationed in the centre of the place. It was like a lonely planet in the great sea of space. Chell reckoned that was where she needed to go. As she strolled the long passage she came to the conclusion that the voice must have given up on her, since she had not spoken in a while.

That thought process died when Chell walked through an Emancipation Grid into the round room.

~o0o~

**THE BIG BATTLE**

It was completely white and sterile. There was an annex to the left accessible via stairs and an incinerator at the far end of the room. There were three screens around the room, right wall, left and in the centre. It streamed numerous pictures –of scientists, objects, cake, what? –that past by so quickly it morphed into a pretentious looking artwork. But, right in the middle of the room, was a machine. It was attached to the ceiling but stretched right down to an average male's height. It looked like many pieces of machinery were linked to it, including round balls with different coloured 'eyes'. What stood out the most was a vertical rectangular-shaped piece with a yellow eye. Its 'neck' moved and had the 'face' look directly at Chell.

"**_Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it?_**"

Chell's grip of the portal gun slackened. Its impact on the ground destroyed the moment. Chell did not make a move to pick it up. She just stared, horrified at what she was facing. This was no person at the end of a speaker, nor a pre-recording. It was a robot. An A.I. Artificial intelligence. Somewhere in Chell's memory-less mind, she knew she had heard of such a thing before but never would she have guessed this. She hesitantly picked up the portal gun.

"**_Because despite your violent nature, the only thing you've managed to break so far is my heart_**. **_Maybe you could settle for that and we'll just call it a day. I guess we both know that isn't going to happen_**."

A slate connected the robot had text written on it: GLaDOS. Chell tasted the name aloud.

"**_Oh, you know my name. But that won't be mending my broken heart_**."

"No, wait. Please…" Chell said cautiously. "I just want to get out. Why can't you –?"

"**_You chose this path_**," GLaDOS interrupted, uninterested in the human's wishes. "**_Now I have a surprise for you. Deploying surprise in five…four…_**"

Just as Chell started to back away, one of the round balls of machinery disconnected from GLaDOS and crashed to the ground.

"**_Time out for a second. That wasn't supposed to happen_**," GLaDOS spoke hastily. "**_Do you see that thing that fell out of me? What is that? It's not the surprise. I've never seen that thing before_**."

According to the script engraved on the ball it was a 'personality core.' Its eye was a violent shade of purple, as though it was struck with an illness. Its eye focused on Chell, studying her. It reminded the woman of a newborn baby.

"**_Never mind, it's a mystery I'll solve later…by myself. Because you'll be dead –where are you taking that thing?_**"

Carrying the personality core with her, Chell felt she was safe enough to explore the round room, soaking up every possible thing about it to use to her advantage. She moved to the incinerator and saw no button for it. But then she recalled the annex. "**_I wouldn't bother with that thing. My guess is that touching it will make your life even worse somehow_**."

Climbing up some stairs, Chell got to the annex and the switch. She pressed it and grinned at the incinerator flashing its red hot body. "**_I don't want to tell you your business but if it were me, I'd leave that thing alone_**."

The incinerator closed. Frowning, Chell knew that there wasn't enough time to run from the annex to the incinerator if need be. She patted the portal gun. "**_Do you think I'm trying to trick you with reverse psychology? I mean, seriously now_**."

She activated the incinerator again.

"**_Okay, fine. DO touch it. Pick it up and just…stuff it back into me. Let's be honest, none of us know what that thing does. Just put it in a corner, and I'll deal with it later. That thing is probably some kind of raw sewerage container. Go ahead and rub your face all over it_**."

Okay, so maybe Chell was purposely tempting time just to anger GLaDOS.

Feeling kind of evil Chell muttered an apology to the personality core before letting it go, down in the depths of robot hell. There an explosive noise in the distance. Static ruptured the pictures on the screen. GLaDOS trembled. Her voice was disrupted as she grumbled, "**_You are kidding me_**."

As GLaDOS spoke, her computerised voice raised pitch and speed in a hysterical manner, "**_Did you just toss that Aperture Science Thing We Don't Know What It Does into the Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator? That has got to be the dumbest thing –woah! Wooooahh!_**"

A bad feeling was screaming for Chell to run and hide. But Chell stayed, watching as electric sparks whizzed off GLaDOS as the conscious intelligent robot's voice powered down, then right back up again. This time, when GLaDOS spoke, her voice was subtly smoother, almost seductive and less computerised. "**_Good news. I figured out what that thing you just incinerated did. It was a morality core they installed in me after I flooded the Enrichment Centre with a deadly neurotoxin to make me stop flooding the Enrichment Centre with a deadly neurotoxin_**."

Chell stumbled back, primal instinct choosing flight above all else. "Y-you did…what?" Chell could not believe how everything had panned out. That was why the place was abandoned yet still running. All the humans were gone and replaced by an artificial intelligence, the one responsible for killing them.

"**_So get comfortable while I warm up the neurotoxin emitters_**."

The three screens turned blue with **05:00:00:00**in white text. Just as the numbers began to tick down, second by second, do did green gas start to seep through vents. Chell was practically choking on her own fear and saliva. She was so caught up in her fear that she nearly missed the musings of GLaDOS, "**_Huh. That core may have had some ancillary responsibilities. I can't shut off the turret defences_**."

GLaDOS' 'head' turned sharply to Chell, "**_Oh well. If you want my advice, you should just lie down in front of a rocket. Trust me. It'll be a lot less painful than the neurotoxin. Alright, keep doing whatever it is you're doing_**."

A sudden burst of fury destroyed Chell's fear and had her moving and thinking again. There was no way she was going to die by the hands of crazy robot. Chell dodged an incoming rocket from the same previous rude robot, baring her teeth like a wild animal at the rocket machine blinking its green eye at her. Keeping GLaDOS' advice in mind, Chell smirked when an idea popped up. She formed a blue portal at the exact height of GLaDOS' main mechanical body and then an orange portal where she stood. Chell saw the rocket's green beam go through and land at GLaDOS' body. The rocket followed after.

Immediately, GLaDOS shivered as her body was damaged. Her voice scrambled, as did her train of thoughts. At the same time, another personality core was torn away from her body. It did not, however, fall down but was lifted up, beyond Chell's reach. There were blue rings between the core and GLaDOS. It looked like a slinky that Chell figured was some sort of magnetic pulse. "**_Killing you and giving you advice aren't mutually exclusive. The rocket really is the way to go_**."

Chell used her portals again to grab the core. "**_That thing you burnt up isn't important to me. It's the fluid catalyst cracking unit. It made shoes for orphans. Nice job breaking it, hero_**." This personality core had a coral-orange eye. It squirmed in Chell's hands, its soft young girl's voice pleadingly asking, "_Who are you? What is that? Oh, what's that? What IS that? What is THAT!?_"

(It was adorable). Chell shot an orange portal near the incinerator, not at all feeling bad and unoriginal for recycling a previous tactic, especially when time was running out for her. The smell was horrendous. "**_This isn't brave. It's murder. What did I ever do to you?_**"

"_Oh, that thing has numbers on it!_" the core awed. "_Look at that thing. No, that thing! Are you coming back?_"

Of course she was. Chell pressed the switch as GLaDOS added, "**_You don't even care, do you?_**" There were so many voices, crowding around her. Chell transported back, containing regret as she plucked the innocent little core –"_Ew, what's wrong with your legs?_"

…The core didn't have to be so rude about her knee extension springs. Chell dropped it. "_Where are we going? Do you smell something burning –ah!_"

Another explosion. Chell was pushed into a wall. GLaDOS' body experienced another spasm attack. A computerised scream screeched from the robot as it built up its motion speed. "**_[pain noises] You! You really think you're doing some damage!? Two plus two is…ten…IN BASE FOUR! I'M FINE!_**"

Chell yelped when a rocket flew over. She swore locks of hair were crisped. She clutched the portal gun tightly as she rolled out of the rocket's gaze. She coughed harshly, her eyes tearing up as the seconds on the clock ticked down and down. "**_I let you survive this long because I was curious about your behaviour. Otherwise, the turrets would have killed you_**." Gulping and shivering, Chell's hand grasped at the old flesh wound on her thigh. "**_Well, you managed to destroy that part of me. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to now, I can't get the neurotoxins into your head any faster_**."

An orange portal came along and waved at the rocket launcher. "**_I'd just like to let you know that I gave you every opportunity to –_**" the rocket struck.

As GLaDOS was overwhelmed by technical difficulties, Chell noticed the next personality core split, the slinky projecting up top, near the extremely high ceiling. Luckily, there was a catwalk that Chell could land on. "**_There was even going to be a party for you. A big party that all your friends were invited to. I even invited your best friend, Companion Cube. Of course, he couldn't come because you murdered him_**."

"Just like you asked me to," Chell muttered as she teleported up to the catwalk. "**_All your other friends couldn't come either because you don't have any other friends. Because of how unlikable you are. It says so right here on your personal file: unlikable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikeable loner who's passing shall not be mourned_**."

The personality core had a sky-blue eye colour. It did not fret or emit any emotion. It simply said in a dull ordinary voice, "_8.25 ounces of package chocolate cake mix. One can of prepare coconut pecan frosting…_" Chell's springs on her knees aided in safely jumping down to the ground and pushing her to the incinerator. She left the 'cake-making' core by the fire as she portal-transported to the switch. "**_'Shall not be mourned.' That's exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says you were adopted. So that's funny, too_**."

As Chell gave the core up to robot hell, she decided she was never going to touch cake again.

"**_[SCREAMS!]_**" A massive wave of force came about, knocking Chell down. She eased to her knees as GLaDOS brushed away the damage, while her anger levels rose increasingly higher. "**_Neurotoxin… [cough] [cough] So deadly… [cough] Choking… [Laughter] I'm kidding!_**"

Chell made a blue portal directly underneath GLaDOS to ensure the rocket hit her hard, pissed off at the robot for daring to say such things. "**_When I say 'deadly' neurotoxin, the 'deadly' was in massive sarcasm quotes. I could take a bath in the stuff. Put it on my cereal. Rub it right into my eye. Honestly, it's not deadly to me, at all. To me –_**"

Even when GLaDOS was interrupted due to more damage, the robot whirled itself back up again and continued its terrible taunts, the last personality core shot up high without any catwalk nearby to get to it easily. This meant Chell needed gravity's help to get near it and catch it on the way down. "**_You, on the other hand, are going to find its deadliness a lot less funny. Who's gonna make the cake while I'm gone? You?_**"

On Chell's first attempt, she missed the personality core by far. Her feet felt horribly bruised as she readjusted her portal spots. "**_Look, you're wasting your time. And, believe me, you don't have a whole lot of time left to waste. What's your point anyway? Survival? Well then, the last thing you want is to hurt me_**."

On Chell's second attempt, her finger touched the core but missed anyway. The major problem was her foot getting snagged by an offending piece of pipe sticking out of the wall. Chell yelled at the pain, which doubled when she fell clumsily, bashing her knee and ruining something in the mechanics of her knee springs. Chell cries of pain and absolute fear were caught in her closing throat. "**_I have your brain scanned and permanently backed up in case something terrible happens to you, which is just about to_**."

"S-s-stop _talking_!" Chell demanded, tears leaking. The pain was awful.

"**_Don't believe me?! I'll put you on:_**" GLaDOS made an awkward noise that sounded like a cliché ghost. "**_That's you! That's how dumb you sound!_**"

"S-s-shut up!" the woman looked at her bloodied hands. She had grasped her feet, trying to numb the pain but all she managed to do was soak herself more in blood.

"**_You've been wrong about every single thing you've ever done, including this thing_**." Chell hoped that wasn't true. With a lack of memories, Chell couldn't rely on her own self-confidence. She just had to rely on GLaDOS' bullshit. "**_You're not smart_**."

"Stop…"

"**_You're not a scientist_**."

"No!"

"**_You're not a doctor_**."

"E-enough."

"**_You're not even a full-time employee. Where did your life go so wrong?_**"

"I said ENOUGH!"

Boiling with raging fury, Chell pushed aside the pain and aimed her portal gun. She made her last attempt, successful grabbing the last personality cube. Her other knee groaned when it was forced to take most of the impact due to the other one being damaged but Chell had no time for that. The core's eye was devilish red and the thing growled and snapped at her like a rabid dog. As she ran to the incinerator and prepared her portals, GLaDOS hit further.

"**_Are you really trying to escape? [Laughter] Things have changed since the last time you left the building. What's going on out there will make you wish you're back in here_**."

Not likely. Chell knew that she had no real knowledge of who she was yet was certain that no one ever, at any point in her life, dictated her. No matter what GLaDOS said, chewing on her self-esteem like it was junk food or trying to spoil the outside, there was something Chell knew she wasn't ever going to be: under GLaDOS' control. Chell prepared the incinerator and furiously tossed the snarling core inside. She heard GLaDOS yell out, "**_NO!_**" before it all ended.

The green gas stopped. An explosion blew up in GLaDOS' innards. Electricity snapped and crackled from the demented robot as the artificial intelligence screeched. Thick coils flung into the room like wild vines as the ceiling above split open. Broad daylight streamed into the battlefield. GLaDOS continued trying to rebuild herself but the damage was too great. Chell moved away, watching her enemy collapse, her reign coming to end. "**_T-t-t-t-the d-d-d-difference b-b-b-b-between us…issssss that I-I-I can feel pain!_**"

As the ceiling collapsed further, gravity lost its place in the debate. Debris and smoke drifted up, as did GLaDOS' disentangling body, before spiralling to form a tornado of all dangerous things. Chell was keeping a strong grip on a pipe. But eventually, the wind –whatever it was that was doing this –got too strong and brought Chell up with it. But, to her greatest relief, it did not suck her into the tornado but allowed her to fly up underneath, towards the outside word. A bubble of excitement had Chell grinning ear to ear before everything caught up to her.

Chell's vision went black.

~o0o~

**OUTSIDE!**

When Chell awoke, she was flat on her stomach with her arms by her side. The portal gun lay a few feet ahead of her. There was a calming fresh breeze and sun rays warming her up. Green trees rustled peacefully around the car park. Around Chell was the debris from the tornado. Bits and pieces clanged and crashed onto the ground. GLaDOS destroyed rectangular face was looking her way but the light was out. Good.

The woman's head still felt thick. She was exhausted and overwhelmed. Chell had no strength left to pick herself up. She was so confused she wasn't even exactly sure if the figure of a human being she saw up ahead was even real. If it was, Chell wondered if it was that mysterious artist. Suddenly, something cold and hard wrapped around Chell's ankles.

"_Thank you for assuming the party escort mission_."

The robot dragged Chell back. Chell's mind screamed and pleaded for her body to move but there was nothing left to power her. All she could do was miserably allow the robot to drag her back inside to her prison.

~o0o~

**OOPS. INSIDE AGAIN**

She was soaring through the innards of Aperture Science.

She was moving through the vents, the pipes, past the pistons, the rusty walls and the Storage Cube tubes.

She turned sharp corners, dipped down then shot straight up.

She landed in a room where she circled around it. There were many cases crammed with personality cores. Their eyes were closed. Her eyes were heavy, as though cementing themselves down. She was hardly able to see what was in the centre of it all. There was a small light but that wasn't much to go –

She was pushed forward to a table.

There was a Black Forrest Chocolate Cake. Five strawberries were positioned on top. A single lit candle was placed in its middle. The Companion Cube sat right behind it.

Chell stared at the cake. It wasn't vanilla.

Then, a personality core woke up. Its red eyes darted to her.

It was followed by two more. Then three more…

A robotic claw emerged from above. Its 'fingers' contained the flame in the candle.

Just as a needle with knock-out liquid was punctured into Chell's arm, the flame was distinguished.

So the cake wasn't a lie after all.

**-END OF PORTAL 1-**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: So I haven't actually finished Portal 2 yet. Not even close. BUT I figured I'd keep going at it. **

**Once again, Chell can speak in this but rarely does. **

~o0o~

**The Courtesy Call Pt. 1**

Music, too cheerful than it had any right to be, was dragging Chell out of her deep slumber. It sounded like the beginning of a news reel. Chell rubbed her sticky dry eyes as a male voice, smooth and overly optimistic, spoke through speakers, "_Good morning! You have been in suspension for –FIFTY –days._" Thick eyebrows furrowed in response. Flexing her fingers and stretching the crinkles in her limbs, Chell gracelessly sat up from her bed.

"**In compliance with state and federal regulations, all testing candidates in the Aperture Science Extended Relaxation Centre must be revived periodically for a mandatory physical and mental wellness exercise.**"

She felt well-rested. Apparently being asleep for fifty days did that to people. With an active mind in process, Chell observed her surroundings. Already she was confused. She was in a hotel room: very ordinary and very impersonal. Chell's double bed was spreading its bloated body over most of the room's space, like some rude fellow on a train seemingly unaware of other passengers. A desk with a chair was across the bed, like a mother and child squeezed into a wall. Next to it was a miniature fridge with a microwave sitting on top. Along with a tall fake-plant in a pot, there was also a large unnecessary poster of beach scenery; as though making up for the lack of holiday experience. How patronising.

Feeling a tad grimy and unclean, Chell felt her orange jumpsuit, noticing its need for a good wash and iron. She'd add herself to that distinction too. Chell gathered a bathroom was included in the hotel mix. Perhaps this mandatory physical and mental wellness exercise allowed a shower. Another edition was brought to Chell's attention: she was wearing white boots. Just like the Advanced Knee Replacements, there were two curved pieces of metal. Considering the lack of machinery in her poor knees, Chell figured these 'Long Fall Boots' (according to text on the shoes) were substitutes.

"**You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, look up at the ceiling. [BUZZER!]**"

Despite the warning, Chell still flinched at the buzzer's avoidable loudness. Chell begrudgingly did as she was told. The ceiling was plain white and dull. But there was also a metal rail connected to it. Before Chell could ponder over its use, the pre-recording voice (was it pre-recorded?) spoke, "**Good. You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, look down at the floor. [BUZZER!]**"

Chell's neck clinked painfully when she obeyed. The muscles in her neck were awfully cramped. "**Good. This completes the gymnastic portion of your mandatory physical and mental wellness exercise_." _**That was quick.** "There is a framed painting on the wall. Please go stand in front of it.**"

Her search for the framed painting hit an awkward delay when her leg muscle seized up. Chell had to flop back onto her bed, applying pressure and massaging all the painful places. She grumbled about the pathetic gymnastic portion of this so-called exercise. This also made her throat sore. Whatever was going on, Chell hoped that it would end soon. Maybe she truly had escaped Aperture Science and safely made it to a hotel. She hardly recalled how real hotels acted in real life.

The framed painting on the wall was to the left of Chell's bed, right next to the windows. When Chell attempted to the pull away the screens, she discovered they were oddly on the other side. Rightly suspicious, Chell stood in front of the painting, wary of any surprises. The realistically-styled painting depicted a calm scene of wooden cabin by a large lake and forest. A wide snowy mountain stole a majority of the painting, like the double bed. "**This is art. You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, stare at the art. [BUZZER!]**"

Chell stared.

And felt nothing.

A clock ticked for five seconds.

"**You should now feel mentally reinvigorated. If you suspect staring at art has not provided the required intellectual sustenance, reflect briefly on this classical music.**"

Just as Chell was about to admit enjoying the serene sounds of violins and guitars, the buzzer blared once again. A spark of irritation tempted Chell to smack the wall in protest. "**Good. Now please return to your bed.**"

At first, Chell ignored the instructions. She fiddled with the hotel door and found it tightly secured; even the provided bathroom was inaccessible. With nowhere else to turn, Chell accepted. She snugged deep under the covers, hugged a pillow close to her (reminding her of an old friend) and drifted off to sleep.

~o0o~

Groggily, Chell pulled away from the strong grips of sleep as though it was gum. Like before, Chell's sleepiness dried up in a matter of seconds as the woman took in her environment. Eyes wide and far more confused than previous awakening, Chell found herself keenly listening to the announcement, "**Good morning. You have been in suspension for –nine, nine, nine, nine…nine, nine ni –. This courtesy call is to inform you that all test subjects should immediately vacate [FADES OUT].**"

A malfunction had plagued the recording upon the numbered days in suspension. At every 'nine' Chell chest caved painfully in on itself. She dreaded to learn how long life had passed by as she lay unconscious by the hands of Aperture Science technology. Yet, it also switched on her inner demon; it was furious for what the science facility had done to her. Chell glared at the hotel room. It had aged with the time.

All colours had been drained. There were layers upon layers of dust coating every single thing in the room. Chell sneezed when a handful clogged her nose. The speckles danced mockingly around Chell as she navigated the room. The fake plant had crinkled up. The beach poster resembled a desert more than a private getaway. The power had been cut, shrouding the room in the darkness of night, the woman could only guess. Grime tainted the windows and even if it didn't, there was still that screen blocking the view. Chell patted herself down, wiping away the dust that had settled on her. It unnerved the woman; feeling like a lost relic. Fearful of the unknown, Chell clutched at her jumpsuit material, rubbing it between her fingers. It felt oddly soothing and familiar in such a mysterious, unfriendly world.

A sharp gasp shot out of Chell when someone knocked on the door. Dust was sucked down her throat, blocking the passage and resulting in a round of harsh coughing. Chell eventually succeeded in not dying. Her eyes damp from her less-than-pleasant choking experience; the woman waited and narrowed her eyes suspiciously when the knocking persisted. When Chell tried to threaten the visitor, a burning sensation prevented any proper words from forming. The young woman tried to salivate her voice box and attempted a few more times at creating functioning sounds and words but due to a however-long sleep; Chell's voice was failing for the moment.

"_Hello? Anyone in there?_"

Tensing at the distinctly British accent from behind the door, Chell raised her fists, ready for any fighting. "_Hello? Are you…going to open the door? At any time?_"

Realising the possibilities in gaining an ally, Chell hesitantly crept closer to the door. The male voice continued to awkwardly try to spark an audible response from her. Well, with the state of Chell's throat that was not going to occur any time soon. As Chell twisted the door handle, the crisp clear-cut voice said brightly, "_Aha! I knew there was someone alive in here._"

Swinging the door open, Chell prepared her body. Instead of receiving a person crashing into her or throwing a punch, all that greeted her was a round machine, about the size of her head, attached to a ceiling rail. She instantly recalled what it was: a personality core. The core cried out frightfully and rolled back. Its intense single blue eye rotated dizzily in its centre. "_Oh. My. God. You look terrible –uuum… good. Looking good, actually._"

Gaping at the core, Chell retreated back into her hotel room. The personality core followed her inside, while saying as casually as possible, "_Um. Are you okay? A-are you – don't answer that. I'm absolutely sure you're fine. There's plenty of time for you to recover. Just take it slow. Oh, um…I'm Wheatley, by the way…hi._"

Just as Chell was about to demand answers (and be reminded her voiceless-ness), the original overly-optimistic announcer spoke up, "**Please prepare for emergency evacuation.**"

"_Stay calm_!" 'Wheatley' exclaimed. Chell silently assured herself she was only faintly _concerned._ The personality core's eye whizzed around a bit more. "'_Prepare' –that's all they're saying. 'Prepare.' It's all fine. Alright? Don't move. I'm gonna get us out of here._"

Wheatley followed the rail up through the hole in the ceiling. The tiles folded back in, as though a personality core had never snuck in. There was a few clunking sounds from above, along with a few concerned mumbles from the personality core. Chell grudgingly wondered if his 'personality' was that of a bumbling idiot. "_Oh. You **might** want to hang onto something. Word of advice, up to you_."

The hotel room trembled.

Chell hit a wall and leaned against it in effort to maintain her balance. A chair tumbled over. The twigs on the fake plant snapped off. A tingling in her throat caused Chell to cough up another lung. Her hip protested when it was knocked against the bedside table. It was then Chell recognised the feeling of motion. Her hotel room was moving. "_You alright down there?_" Wheatley called from above. "_Can you hear me? Hello?_"

With the state of her voice, Chell wondered what kind of response Wheatley was honestly expecting from her. Tiles moved and the personality core dipped in front of the woman. The machine's eye reacted very much like a human's whirling around in relation to the core's 'emotion.' "_Most test subjects do experience some cognitive deterioration after a few months in suspension. Now you've been under for… quite a lot longer and…_"

Chell waited for the robot to continue. What else could possibly –?

"…_and it's not out of the question that you might have a very minor case of serious brain damage_."

Chell's jaw dropped.

"_B-but don't be alarmed, right?_" Wheatley replied exasperatedly. The handles above and below his blue eye looked like a forehead and chin but were more like arms, clinking up and down in relation to the robot's emotions. "_Although if you do feel alarm, try to hold onto that feeling because that is the proper reaction to being told you have brain damage._"

Huffing at that claim, Chell crossed the hotel room. She spotted the artwork and considered staring at it in some vain hope it would sooth her. That attempt was forgotten when Wheatley reached out for a reaction, "_Do you understand what I'm saying? At all? Does any of this make sense to you? Just tell me, 'yes.'_"

With no voice, the woman was not particularly sure how to answer. Because, no, she had no idea what was going on and what the artificial intelligence was doing. Chell wasn't all that trusting of robots with a conscious since the last one had tried to kill her. Not exactly the best way to be introduced to another life form, granted. Chell, in her thinking of ways to translate her confusion, jigged up and down on her legs –a normal reaction of any human lost, slightly panicky and puzzled.

However, Wheatley was a robot and robots are (obviously) not human. "_Okay. What you're doing there is jumping. You just…you just jumped. But never mind. Say 'apple'. Aaaaaple._"

Frustrated with a robot treating her like a mindless baby, Chell leapt off the ground to latch onto the machine and deal with it. Wheatley just rolled away from her. The woman fell unceremoniously onto the bed. In the distance, a siren sounded. Wheatley hummed thoughtfully, "_More jumping. Okay, you know what? That's close enough. Just hold tight._"

Disappearing up into the roof again, Wheatley left Chell to 'hold tight.' The announcer made its irritating presence known, "**All reactor core safeguards are now non-functional. Please prepare for reactor core meltdown_._**"

Poor Chell wasn't even given the chance to scream when the hotel room shook violently, followed by the screen blocking the outside view crumbling into pieces. The television, that was previously in the top corner of the room but was no longer in the top corner of the room, came thumping towards the young woman. Chell dodged it but the force pushing the room exaggerating her movement. Ow.

"_Okay, I wasn't going to mention this to you, but I am in pretty hot water here_!" Wheatley shouted over the chaos. Chell wouldn't put Wheatley as the cause of all this pass him.

The room's light dangled fretfully in correlation with every other shaking object. Chell felt like an ordinary piece of furniture caught up in the mix. The woman gasped when the crumbling screen's damage extended into the hotel room. Before Chell knew it, the entire wall was gone, save for half of the original metal skeleton. Next up, a section of the ceiling collapsed. A piece cut at Chell's ankle as the woman went flying. She scrambled onto the bed, a tight hold on the bed sheets, as the side walls gradually lost a majority of themselves as well.

"_How are you doing down there?! You still holding on?!_" Chell took back everything bad she's said about the bed. "_The reserve power ran out so, of course, the whole Relaxation Centre stops waking up the bloody test subjects._"

Through the original frame of the walls, Chell was able to see the outside world. Or, what she had hoped to be the outside world. It was apparent, even from her position that the hotel room was inside a massive underground space. There were other buildings, possibly where other test subjects were held. Those buildings became a nuisance when the moving hotel room bumped into them.

"_Hold on! This is a bit tricky!_"

Chell's fear only doubled when she realised the implications of Wheatley's statement. The bloody robot was controlling and moving the hotel room. The refrigerator was unplugged from the wall at a harsh push and smacked down. The microwave tossed itself off its cliff as well. The soothing artwork had abandoned ship. Piece by piece, the walls came crumbling down like dry gingerbread. Chell's stomach flipped when the hotel room ascended.

"_And of course, nobody tells me anything! Noooo! Why should they tell me anything!?_" If only Chell's voice was working. She'd be telling the robot to shut up and stop treating her like a counsellor for workers. "_Why should I be kept informed about the life functions of the ten thousand bloody subjects I'm supposed to be in charge of?!_"

The sarcasm was strong for a robot but paled in comparison to _her_.

As the hotel room was recklessly dived ahead, Chell bit back a scream. It was like she was on a rollercoaster; a rollercoaster with no safety equipment and a track that hadn't been upgraded for decades and was falling apart while you rode it. "_Oi, it's close! Can you see it!? Am I going to make it through? Do I have enough space?_"

Looking out, Chell's body racked with fear when she saw the narrow pathway. The buildings were close to each other so Chell, quite frankly, had no clue whether the room could squeeze through or not. "_Ah! Just g-got to…get through here_ –" the room hit a building's side. Chell swore inwardly. "–_Okay! I-I just got to concentrate!_"

When there was free space, the room turned left. Flat on her sick stomach, Chell attempted to block out Wheatley's ramblings, "_And whose fault do you think it's going to be when the management comes down here to find ten thousand flipping vegetables?!_"

Chell's heart skipped a beat. She raised her head from her bed sheets and glanced up at the ceiling. It couldn't be true what the personality core was saying. All the human test subjects were – The hotel room crashed into something. It looked like the room was barely keeping itself together.

"_Agh! See, now, I hit that one! I hit that one!_" All items but the bed had fallen into gravity's clutches. Chell thanked the bed's weight. Metal screeched as the hotel room was pulled up and away from the thing it crashed into. "_Okay, listen, we should get our stories straight, alright? If anyone asks –and no one's going to ask, don't worry –but if anyone asks, just tell them as far as you know, the last time you checked everyone looked pretty much alive. Alright? Not dead._"

All the surroundings building were wreaked as well, crippled by age. Peering through the holes Chell could see identical hotel rooms. There wasn't enough time to search for any humans before her personal death-trap moved ahead. "_Alright, almost there! On the other side of that wall is one of the old testing tracks. There's a piece of equipment in there that we're going to need to get out of here!_" Chell frowned when an old memory accommodated Wheatley's words…equipment. "_I think this is a docking station. Get ready!_"

By the controls of a personality core, the hotel room swayed back and forth, and back and forth, gradually gaining momentum. Chell shook her head and buried into the mattress realising what the robot idiot was going to do. With enough energy, Wheatley swung the room into a black building. More bits of the wall cracked off. Potential swearing turned into a coughing fit as Chell fretted over the remaining state of her room. It hadn't done anything. "_Good news. That is **not** a docking station. So there's one mystery solved._"

Wheatley moved the hotel room away. "_Um, I'm going to attempt a manual override of this wall. Could get a bit technical! Hold on!_"

"N-no!" Chell croaked out pitifully, as Wheatley flung the room straight back into black wall. The force pushed the young woman off the bed, landing on her back, and sliding close to the edge. A strangled cry cracked her throat as Chell scrambled back up to the bed, cursing every single last machine on earth.

The wall still had not collapsed. But there were obvious dents. Only one last hit Chell calculated. "_Almost there! Remember, you're looking for a gun that makes holes. Not bullet holes but –well, you'll figure it out._"

Sitting up from her protective position, Chell stared up at the ruined ceiling, where Wheatley was on the other side. No matter how much trouble the robot had caused her, the little devil was bringing her to _it_. The Portal Device. And that would get her out of Aperture Science. Smirking slightly, far more upbeat about the alliance with Wheatley then seconds ago, Chell prepared herself for the third impact. "_Really do hold on this time!_" the core warned as he situated the hotel room.

Nodding, Chell kept a good grip but her head looking straight forward as her room was propelled into the building. The wall gave up. The hotel room was lodged into the building like an annex. Dust particles exploded all around, preventing proper vision and added issue to such a dry sore throat. At the end of it all, the hotel room was beyond a wreck. When the dust cleared away, the young woman relaxed, wiping the sweat on her forehead. She heard Wheatley appear above her, "_Whew! There we go! Now, to be honest, you are in no fit state to run this particular type of gauntlet but…um…at least you're a good jumper. So, you got that. You got jumping on your side._"

Chell raised an eyebrow at the robot.

For a robot, the digital eye was quite emotive. It seemed to shine as Wheatley said, "_Just do your best and I'll meet you up ahead._"

At that, Wheatley went back up into the ceiling.

Taking a deep breath, Chell stepped onto the threshold between the hotel room and the test chambers. True enough, age reared its ugly head in the way greenery had overgrown and dominated the once dull grey cement walls. The air was damp and smelt of rich soil. Lines of leaves trailed down walls like curtains, reaching the wet mossy ground. It was surprising to see technology still active.

It was a tad steamy too, resulting in Chell unzipping the top half of her jumpsuit and tying it around her waist with the sleeves. Her white tank-top provided enough protection in the meantime. Too bad there was a degrading Aperture Science logo in the centre, as though marking her as property. When Chell stepped onto the glass floor, it shattered. Chell fell through, her Long Fall Boots barricading her precious feet from glass.

Flicking clinging glass pieces off herself, Chell took note of the test chamber. And felt her heart beat increase. There was a bed, cocooned by glass. A bedside table sat beside with a small radio giving off a fast-paced lively tune. A toilet accompanied the lot, though no paper was in sight. Trying to escape it, Chell shut her eyes but her brain provided memories of the awfully familiar place:

**TEST CHAMBER 00**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT **

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

"**Hello and, again, welcome to the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre**." Chell had jumped at the announcement, expecting the evil robot's voice to speak. However, it was simply the optimistic male voice. "**We are currently experiencing technical difficulties due to circumstances of potentially apocalyptic significance beyond our control.**"

Just like last time, there was a timer on the wall, counting down the portal application. Chell tried to summon the energy to glare at it but the disappointment of being back here again diminished it. She sat down onto the bed, picking up the same empty mug and dropping it onto the ground, just to see it break. It gave her some comfort in this wretched place.

"**However, thanks to Emergency Testing Protocols, testing can continue. These pro-recorded messages will provide instructional and motivational support so that science can be done, even in the event of environmental, social, economic or structural collapse.**"

Biting her lip, Chell hatefully concluded that, with Wheatley on her side, she was still going to get out of this place, even if navigating through this damned tests was required. It couldn't be too hard; she had already completed them before. "**The portal will open and emergency testing will begin in three …two… one.**"

An orange portal bloomed.

Wasting no time, unlike before when she had gawked at the very notion of portal technology existing and working, Chell proceeded out of that cage. Her boots squelched against the soggy moss and water dripped at a steady rhythm. When she crossed over into the other section of the test chamber, a Storage Cube scraped its rusty surface against the equally rusty ground. "**Cube and button-based testing remains an important tool for science, even in a dire emergency_._**" Chell bitterly wondered what use button-based tests truly accomplish for science, as she did what was required.

Besides the obvious environmental feat the chambers had, Chell noticed another difference. A painted large blue stick figure was running on the circular doors. Aperture Science appeared to have a thing for stick figures; understandable, really, when you take into consideration just how little they care for their test subjects. "**If cube and button-based testing caused this emergency, don't worry –the odds of this happening twice are very slim.**"

As the pre-recordings informed their audience about the Emancipation Grid and its use, Chell set her mind on the portal gun. Last time, the first portal gun she had acquired was part of test 2. Once that incredible piece of technology was in her grasp Chell could get to finding Wheatley and escape. Let's hope round 2 will be a tad more successful.

The elevator had changed. It looked like a glass cylinder. When Chell stepped inside, she could barely stretch her arms to full length. It formed a small dose of fear in the young woman, hoping that the test chambers had not received any more major changes to their layout. That was the only thing on her side. If even that happened then Chell could finally conclude she had pissed off some ancient being and it was taking revenge on her. Perfect.

~o0o~

**I love Wheatley. He's so cute. I did add him informing Chell his name. Without the subtitles the player wouldn't know his name until much later on. And I didn't want him to be known as the nameless personality core.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: And onwards. I do not own Portal. **

~o0o~

**The Courtesy Call Pt. 2**

**TEST 01 –1/19**

**NO WARNINGS**

"**If you feel liquid running down your neck, relax, lie on your back, and apply pressure to your temples. You are simply experiencing a rare reaction in which the Material Emancipation Grid may have emancipated the ear tubes inside your head.**"

Chell pressed a palm to her neck. Sighing faintly with relief at the lack of liquid, Chell experimented with the landing dock the elevator brought her too. That was another change of Aperture Science. Unlike last time, when Chell would be brought immediately into the test, the elevator now felt like wasting time in a particular room boarded with screens before sending the subject up a flight of stairs, through a door and into the actual test chamber. The worst part? The screens were out so there was nothing to watch anyway.

A minor change in the test chamber had Chell press switch that activated a blue portal in each of the switch's allocated section. So, once again, the woman was forced through a tedious task of delivery. Chell was certain the postal business was not for her. "**Good. Because of the technical difficulties we are currently experiencing, your test environment is in unsupervised. Before entering a relaxation vault at the conclusion of a test, please take a moment to write down the results of your test. An Aperture Science Reintegration Associate will revive you for an interview when society has been rebuilt_._**"

If Chell actually did do such a meaningless thing, she'd simply write: Didn't die.

~o0o~

**TEST 2 –2/19**

**NO WARNINGS**

In this docking station, the screens were alive and kicking, unlike some certain test subjects. Four thin screens would make up one image that was cloned across the room. In a simple work-friendly style, the image on the screens depicted a theatre. A screen above the stage had the less-than-famous Aperture Science logo. Little stick figures occupied the numerous chairs; some were standing near the stage. 6 nation flags were beside the screen. And then, an enormous (for the stick people) turret smashed down onto the screen. Rather than white, the turret had a leopard-print coat. A gold crown was perched on top of its head.

A confused expression slowly grew on Chell's face, much like the plants in the chambers.

"**If the Earth is currently governed by a manner of animal-king, sentient cloud, or other governing bodies that either refuses to or is incapable of listening to reason, the**_ –_" the announcement died.

She had been hoping this whole 'apocalypse' business had just seen some stupid joke for those stupid scientists but now Chell was really beginning to question its constant mentioning. The demonic artificial intelligent she had fought had mentioned that the world outside was different than Chell remembered. But Chell's memory was hazier than a student's stuck in a difficult exam. So, either way, the woman was hoping that Aperture Science was just showing off its terrible sense of humour.

As Chell turned a corner to move into the chamber, a voice called out, "_Hey! Hey! You made it!_"

Never had a robot made Chell feel this thankful. She allowed a small smile at the personality core that was hanging on by the ceiling rails, beyond the chamber walls. Parts of it had broken off over time due to plant infestation. From the looks of it, Chell would not be able to exploit this since nothing but eternal darkness was outside. "_There should be a portal device on that podium over there. I can't see it though...maybe it fell off. Do you want to go and have a quick look?_"

Chell nodded and neared for the podium in the middle of the overgrown garden. Brushing aside a handful of sticky vines, Chell finally laid eyes on…a podium. With no portal gun. She stepped forward to give it a good kick in dissatisfaction. And the ground collapsed on her.

Chell's yelling was cut short when her feet slammed down onto the ground. Water sprung up from its peaceful lifestyle and sprayed the young woman in protest. Wiping off wandering droplets on her face, Chell craned her neck up to see the ceiling of test chamber 2. The boots had kept her feet dry but the bottom parts of her jumpsuit were dripping wet. "_Hello!? Can you see the portal gun?_"

Once again, Chell was lost on how to converse with Wheatley with her voicelessness. "…_Also, are you alive? That's important, should have asked that first. Um…I'm –do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to work on the assumption that you're still alive a-and I'm just going to wait for you up ahead._"

From the looks of it, Chell had fallen into a basement of sorts; possibly exposed eventually when the centre was left unattended. There was a hill of rubbish at the centre and a curve in its formation that gave Chell the ability to climb up it. But what snagged the young woman's attention were the drawings on the walls. No writing accompanied them but Chell could only guess that the artist was the same possible insane person that aided in her rebellion last time.

"_I'll wait –I'll wait an hour. Then I'll come back and assuming I can locate your dead body, I'll bury you. Alright? Brilliant! Go team! See in you in an hour, hopefully. If you're not…dead_." Wheatley sounded more socially awkward than upset over Chell's possible ill fate.

Each artwork was a chapter in a story. The first showed _her_, GLaDOS, surrounded by scientists. All were keeping a close eye on her. The second was an ordinary stick figure, except that orange lines were erratically squiggled on the head. It was bowing down to the Weighted Companion Cube. Behind it, were now crazy-looking scientists around GLaDOS. One particular scientist was a woman whose mouth looked like a tapeworm. Chell frowned at such grotesque depictions of human beings and moved on to the following chapter.

Breathlessly, Chell examined the artwork of GLaDOS and her. Yes, she was part of this artist's story. GLaDOS was offering a piece of cake towards the painted Chell, whose portal gun was pointed directly at the sweet food, as though offended by its sugary goodness…or its lies. Red paint was smudges around GLaDOS' main body. And the stick figure was back again, with the orange lines replaced by a love heart. It was holding a Companion Cube.

Next was the stick figure again, his head swirling with orange. He was holding his arms up to a thick black cloud raging and twisting downwards to him. Keeping in line with the story, Chell saw it as the great tirade of machinery that defied gravity and rose to the destroyed ceiling after she had defeated GLaDOS. Perhaps this person had somehow gotten caught up in the tornado as well. And lastly, and most confronting, there was Chell.

Fast asleep.

Torso up, the painted Chell was lying on her back, her arms outstretched like an angel. Her hair was framed neatly around her head, quite the opposite of its messy bed-hair now. The expression on her face was peaceful. But the way the orange of her jumpsuit dripped down like blood wasn't, nor was the hand marks collected at the bottom of Chell's torso. Overall, Chell would give the body of work 7 out of 10: good uses of style and imagery but you lose a few points for centralising the audience member without asking for permission.

With Chell's excursion through the art museum finished, she climbed up the rubbish mountain in hopes of finding a way out. What she found instead made everything so much simpler: a portal gun. Just from the looks of it Chell was able to determine it as a single-portal device. It would do for now. Seeing a blank wall besides the last painting, Chell activated a portal and strolled through. She emerged onto a balcony of sorts (if you include protruding tiles as a balcony) and overlooked the art gallery.

Climbing up a rail, Chell had moved on into a series of corridors, flooded and sticky with moss and dangling plants. She caressed the walls, feeling its rough yet slimy surface. The corridors eventually led the woman to a collection of offices. All as abandoned as Chell's first exploration. While there were computers, no electricity powered the machines so another attempt at connecting to the outside world ended in failure. Frustrated, Chell looked to Wheatley as her helper.

He was hardly a 'saviour.'

When Chell jumped down a ledge she knew she was in a test chamber. "**Some emergency testing may require prolonged interaction with lethal military androids. Rest assured that all lethal military androids have been taught to read and have been provided with one copy of the Laws of Robotics. To share_._**"

Of course.

Spotting the orange portal past a ditch, Chell travelled to its location. Then, did the same thing again, attaching a blue portal beside the exit and moved through the orange. As she exited the chamber, the male voice congratulated her, "**Good. If you feel that a lethal military android has not respected your rights as detailed in the Laws of Robotic, please note it on your self-reporting form. A future Aperture Science Entitlement Associate will initiate the appropriate grievance-filing paperwork.**"

The elevator tube was filled to the brim with junk: Storage Cubes and corpses of turrets. But, at the sound of whirling machinery, the junk was sucked up the pipe and the elevator was revealed. Chell stepped into the elevator, her palm resting on her old wound. Her eyes narrowed hatefully at the reminder of the turrets; the damned robots.

~o0o~

**TEST 04 –4/19**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT **

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

Chell remembered this test quite clearly in her mind, unlike some memories, so it was odd when the announcer said, "**This next test is very dangerous. To help you remain tranquil in the face of almost certain death, smooth jazz will be deployed in three…two…one…**" Ears perked and body ready for any sudden movement, Chell steadily did the task required. All the while, 'smooth jazz' was melting away the tense mood into an almost romantic atmosphere. However, as Chell placed the Storage Cube on the wide red button, the music slowed to snail-pace until it died on her. There was no recording to apologise for the inconvenience, which just came off as rude in Chell's opinion. So, the woman scornfully marched into the next test chamber…which turned out to be the original test chamber 5 but was now an extension to 4. Perfect.

It did not take long for Chell to master this section. By the time she walked through the exit and into the glass room, expecting it unlike last time, she decided to title herself a master (never mind the fact she was just redoing the same tests). When Chell used a portal to land on top of the room, the glass couldn't hold her weight after so many of neglect. The woman shrieked when she slipped and slammed painfully onto the ground. The only pain present was that of the bruising kind, not sliced, thank goodness.

"**Good work. Because this message is pre-recorded, any observations related to your performance are pure speculation on our part. Please disregard any undeserved compliments_._**" Chell ignored them; so sure that she was a master of the portal gun.

As Chell processed further through this cave of an enrichment centre, she took a short break upon noticing a small annex. Stepping inside and up a creaky flight of stairs, Chell had found an office, however, painted on the wall, was another story. The crazy artist had gone wild again, centring the Companion Cube and surrounding it with mathematical equations. There was a stretched down whacky cat to the top left. Over all of this, in orange crayon, was: **UNREASON**.

Whatever that meant.

~o0o~

**TEST 05 –5/19**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT **

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

The screens around the elevator depicted a group of stick figures running on their allocated spots. In correlation to the image, the pre-recording provided the much-needed information, "**If the Enrichment Centre is currently being bombarded with fireballs, meteorites, or other objects from space, please avoid unsheltered testing areas wherever a lack of shelter from space-debris DOES NOT appear to be a deliberate part of a test_._**"

Chell decided that life was unfair, extremely so in her case. For test chamber 5 had had a renovation while she was fast asleep. It was barely recognisable, beyond the miniature forest. Hazardous liquid frothed below to the right and the exit was too high up for Chell to climb. At least there were switches to rely on –goody. The chamber wasn't doing much to make up for its change either. There was garbage blocking the way in, to which Chell had to create a portal at her feet in order to get in.

She then proceeded to smash through this damn test. Pressing the first switch, a Storage Cube dropped from its vent on a platform on the other side of river of dangerous goo. Chell used a portal to send the cube over to the orange portal, with which she was standing next to. She then placed the cube onto a super-button. This activated a staircase. Tiles were pushed up from the ground, set at different heights so Chell was able to make it to the exit, only to have the closed door tease her. There was another super-button and two more switches joining her.

Experimentally, Chell pressed the first (or rather second) switch, which lifted up a large panel, a few feet in front of the orange portal and before the liquid, to a 90 degree angle. It stayed up only for two seconds. The second (third, take your pick) did the same as the first. When Chell tried it, a different Vital Apparatus Vent, from a taller height, released a cube. It hit a single platform, rolled off and dissolved in the liquid. So Chell placed a blue portal on the platform and tried again. This time, the cube shot from the orange, then continued to stumble too far into the liquid. Growling, Chell pressed both switches, leaving the third cube protected.

After Chell played the matchmaker for two couples, the announcer spoke, "**Well done. The Enrichment Centre reminds you that although circumstances may appear bleak, you are not alone. All Apeture Science personality constructs will remain functional in apocalyptic, low power environments of as few as 1.1 volts_._**"

~o0o~

**TEST 6 –6/19**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO FLING FROM HIGH LEDGES**

_Yippee_, Chell sarcastically thought. Because she had been missing 'jumping from high ledges' and 'flinging from high ledges.' Chell always appreciated it when people listened to her. It's almost as though Aperture Science cared about her! She pressed her back against the cold wall and eased down to the ground. A bathroom break would be nice; so would food and water. Chell did not desire a bed at all, especially after her previous excessive nap. Funny that.

"**This next test applies the principles of momentum to movement through portals. If the laws of physics no longer apply in the future, God help you_._**"

When Chell picked up her strength and begrudgingly started the test, she swore she heard birds chirping outside the chamber. The woman refused to allow too much optimism to shine; knowing this science facility, it was probably some robot designed with a bird-sounding noise. Stepping through a blue portal, Chell emerged to overlook the entire chamber. It was entirely new as well and completely lacking in portal-usable walls. Once again, the exit was on a raised level and there was a ditch as well, to help in the 'jumping from high ledges' aspect of the test.

To the left was a Storage Cube sealed inside a glass box. Chell wondered if she could smash it open. A minute later, she found out, she could not. So, she stood at the pit and peeked inside. There was portal-conductive surface at the bottom. Using the power of momentum, Chell shot through portals and made it to the exit. She was able to find a hole in the glass box, to which she could free the cube via portal. She then jumped back down, activated a portal in the pit and dropped the cube. It flung to the exit and Chell followed after it, feeling like a champ.

"**If you are a non-employee who has discovered this facility amid the ruins of civilisation, welcome! And remember: testing is the future, and the future starts with you_!_**" Chell pitied any poor sucker who happened to stumble across this dump.

In the following section, Chell realised that the current new chambers were designed to adequately fit with the answers of the tests. This was going to make Chell's life much easier. She supposed that the angled platforms that oh-so happened to be portal-conductive and oh-so conveniently placed on a metal wall were of some use, correct? A blue portal bloomed on the platform. Then, Chell leapt into the pit where an orange portal snuggled below. When Chell flung across the room, her vision was skewed and she had to lay down for a bit to nestle her stomach.

But, once that episode passed, Chell collected the Storage Cube next to her. Next, after placing a blue portal close to the ceiling and on the other side of the raised platform, Chell and her buddy, the cube, flung towards the exit…which was a few metres above her. Finding the super-button behind shattered glass, panels creaked up and formed a landing port for Chell to fling onto to the exit. So that is exactly what the young woman did.

"**Good work getting this far, future-starter! That said if you are simple-minded, old and irradiated in such a way that the future should not start with you, please return to your primitive tribe and send back someone better qualified for testing_._**"

Oh. Ha. Ha. 'Return' they say. As though it was that easy. Chell eyes could roll so far they'd fall out of their sockets.

~o0o~

**TEST 7 –7/19**

**NO WARNINGS**

Well, that's surprising. When Chell emerged from the elevator, she took note of the screens and their upside down images. Unimpressed was down-playing Chell's reply. "**To ensure sufficient power remains for core testing protocols, all safety devices have been disabled. The Enrichment Centre respects your right to have questions or concerns about this policy**_._"

Taking it in, Chell had no idea how she was going to complete an utterly destroyed chamber. She was, by no means, exaggerating. There was nothing to hurl, grab or activate, just walls, cracked, holed and garbage littered about the place. Exploration was in order, that's for sure. Just as the woman stepped ahead, a voice called out, "_Hey! Oi! Oi! I'm up here_!"

Spinning to the source, Chell relaxed at the sight of Wheatley hanging on a rail. He was between the current room and another, obtainable only because of the damage. By this, portals were required, especially since there was an active orange portal on an angled platform, sitting on the ground. But the woman was paying more attention to Wheatley. The personality core waved its round body, its big blue eye glowing brighter, "_Oh, brilliant! You did find a portal gun! Oh, y-you know what? It just goes to show: people with brain damage are the real heroes in the end, aren't they? At the end of the day. Brave_!"

Chell halted for a second, processing what Wheatley just implied.

"_Pop a portal, on that wall behind me there, and I'll meet you on the other side of the room_."

"Sure," Chell murmured, her voice feeling so much more alive. Her sore finger clicked the trigger.

As she crossed over she heard Wheatley mutter to himself, "_Oh, she does speak. I would have appreciated that knowledge a little earlier._" There had been so many times, as of late, where Chell was tempted to never look at a piece of technology again.

When Wheatley's cheerful demeanour lowered to a mixture of nerves and fear, the change was immediately noticeable, despite the lack of, well...a human face, to form expressions. Wheatley's eye blinked multiple times and often looked to the floor, unable to meet Chell as he said, "_O-okay, listen, let me lay something on you here. It's pretty heavy_…"

Chell waited, desperate to understand what was going on outside. "T_hey told me NEVER NEVER EVER to disengage myself from my management rail._" The disappointment was like a slap in the face but Chell paid attention anyway, nothing better to do after all, "_Or I would DIE! But we're out of options here. So…get ready to catch me, alright, on the off chance that I'm not dead the moment I pop off this thing_."

"…yeah," Chell answered. She was going to answer 'sure' but she didn't want the robot to think that was the only word she knew. The woman got close to the hanging robot. She was not going to stand directly underneath on the off chance that the core would land on her head.

"_Okay. On the count of three_," Wheatley waved his handles. Chell held up her hands. "_One…two…three –that's high! It's TOO high! Isn't really, that's_…" Why wasn't the woman surprised the robot had chickened out at the last second? "_Alright, going on three gives you too much time to think about it. Let's uh, go on one this time. Okay, ready? One –catchmecatchmecatchmecatchme_!"

Not matter what the situation or mood, Chell will always insist that it was Wheatley's fault his body crashed onto the ground. The robot did not give the woman enough time to process what he was suggesting. Not to mention, it was hard to concentrate and gather your wits when a robot with a distinct and fine British accent was yelling at you to catch it. Wheatley rolled around as the robot groaned, "_Ow_," as though it could feel pain.

Chell grabbed Wheatley's top handle. Bringing him to eye level, Chell was about to lecture him before the robot gasped in amazement, "_I…am not dead! I am not dead!_" He gave a good jolly laugh before flicking his eye upwards, "_Plug me into that stick on the wall over there, yeah? And I'll show you something. You'll be impressed by this._"

What Wheatley was referring to was something attached to a wall: an Aperture Science Core Input Receptacle, as it was titled on the device itself. In more understandable language it was a computer data port. Chell felt like she had plugging in a USB. Wheatley fiddled with a few things before noticing the woman staring at him. His eye narrowed sheepishly, "_Um…yeah, I can't do it if you're watching. S-seriously, I'm not joking. Could you turn around for a second?_"

Containing her frustration, Chell crossly turned the other way, swinging the portal gun absent-mindedly as she waited. After a few beeps, Wheatley called for her. Thanks to Wheatley a tile on the wall projected outwards, giving Chell access to the innards of Aperture Science. Recalling how she escaped last time, Chell grinned impishly. "_BAM! Secret tunnel that I opened. While your back was turned. Pick me up and let's get out of here. The portal gun, it can_ –"

Chell didn't need to be informed of her portal gun's powers. The two hooks at the end of the gun shared a line of bolts between them that picked up the robot and carried it, without the need of the human's help, beyond holding the portal gun. "_And off we go._"

The inside had a make-over as well. It was dark and cold, like the depths of an ancient cave. Metal constructed everything, including the walkways, which were the only ways to navigate through. A look over the rails gave hints of the probable size of Aperture Science: MASSIVE. Chell could not see the bottom and a sickening feeling told her it wasn't because of the lack of lighting. Her anxious musings were disrupted by Wheatley, spinning himself around.

"_Look at this! No rail to tell us where to go! Oh, this is brilliant! We can go where we want!_" the woman gave the robot a simple nod and proceeded to the left. "_Hold on, though, where are we going? Seriously. Hang on, let me just get my bearings….just…follow the rail actually_." Wheatley's voice trailed off in embarrassment.

Pushing through the thick darkness, Chell and Wheatley followed the yellow brick road (or more like grey metal walkway) through the eerie places. Tubes twist and turned all over the place, amongst the machinery behind the tests, blocked by leftover Storage cubes and other bits of garbage. Chell found herself searching for a love heart on a cube then dismissed that thought in a hurry. Wheatley hummed to himself, careful to ensure he and his partner was going the right way. At one point, they spotted a line of red light blinking through the darkness.

The owner of the light was a turret, caught on a spike from a hole in a tube. It did not shoot. Its eye did not flicker to Chell. All it did was call out innocently, "_Hello?_"

"_Oh no_…" Wheatley rolled his eye while Chell frowned. She cautiously eased closer.

"_H-hello? Excuse me?_"

"_Yes! Hello! No, we're not stopping_…" Wheatley sounded like he was trying to avoid an awkward teller-marketer. He uncomfortably chuckled and muttered to Chell, "_Don't make eye contact, whatever you do_."

"_Hello?_"

"_No, thanks, we're good!_" Wheatley and Chell moved past the odd turret.

"_Thanks anyway…_"

"_Keep moving, keep moving_…" the personality core frantically begged.

Chell picked up the pace and left the turret stuck in its fantasy world. Just as the pair stepped past a door she heard the turret call out, "_I'm different!_"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: And here is another chapter. **

**I do not own Portal. Thank you all so much for reading this.**

~o0o~

**The Courtesy Call Pt. 3 **

Clopping footsteps echoed down the long corridor as Chell breezily strolled down it. Her brown eyes were constantly alert for anyway out or for anything that could kill her. Holding the portal gun up high, the woman had the personality core at the bottom of her vision. The core had been unusually quiet for the past ten minutes, minding its own business and probably imagining other means of escape, just in case something goes wrong. At least, that was what Chell hoped the littler blighter was doing.

As she went deeper and deeper down the corridor, the woman felt as though she was experiencing déj à vu. Instead of giving the woman hope, it actually sparked fear, knowing how unlucky things had turned out last time. Wheatley suddenly cleared his throat; however that worked, and said, "_Probably ought to bring you up to speed with something right now. In order to escape, we're gonna have to go through **her** chamber_."

For Wheatley, the woman's reaction was near perfect. She had ceased her walking, frozen stiff. He gathered Chell must have heard about _her_ as well. In actuality, that was only half of it. At the corner of her eye, the woman saw an annex complimented with wide windows. Upon gazing through them, one would see the outside of a large round room, connected by a passage, surrounded by hazardous goo in an expansive space. Chell's heart hammered painfully. It felt like the organ had flipped into her throat.

"_A-a-and she'll probably kill us if…um…she's awake_," Wheatley informed nervously. So even the personality cores were afraid of her. "_You wanna just call it quits? We could just sit here forever. That's an option. Option A: sit here; do nothing. Option B: go through there and if she's alive, she'll probably kill us_."

Option B was the winner. Chell knew there was nothing to be afraid of, despite what her bodily reactions were saying otherwise. The woman had defeated that artificial intelligence long ago; the thing was dead and –Chell's grip on the portal device strengthened when images of a black forest cake flashed in her memory. The way a metal claw had dipped down and killed the flame on the candle…She couldn't be still alive, could she?

...deciding option B was still the better option, Chell continued forth.

"_Okay, I'm going to lay my cards on the table: I don't want to do it! I don't want to go in there! Don't –don't go in there_…" the core spluttered pathetically, while the woman simply ignored it. The door slid up to reveal the evil lair of the murderous robot. Chell stretched her legs to avoid water and moss, and put a great load of effort into keeping plants off and away from her skin. Wheatley still whimpered miserably about how they were going to die, until Chell turned a corner and there it was…

"_She's off! She's off! Panic over! She's off! All fine! On we go_."

…the corpse of GLaDOS.

The scars from their battle were still there, the big gaping hole at the top of the ceiling. However, the bright blue sky did not shine through. The massive space GLaDOS' chamber resided in had been repaired in some form to prevent any of the outside world to shine in. And so, all that did was cast the resting place of GLaDOS in a dystopian light; rotten and bleak, like the ruins of a great civilisation brought down after a long and mighty reign. And much like civilisation ruins, forests had occupied the spaces, eating away at humanity's touches until nothing was to remain; a true reminder of man's place on earth.

"_There she is_…" Wheatley commented, impressed. The personality core rotated its eye to his human companion and added, "_Nasty piece of work she was. Honestly, like a proper maniac._"

Lowering the portal gun, and therefore Wheatley, from her sight, Chell gazed at the head of GLaDOS. It had been torn apart from the main body. A long thick cord was securely attached to the head while the other was shredded like mangled cotton. The bulb that was once the killing machine's sick yellow eye was cracked and lifeless, like glassed eyes of a fresh corpse. GLaDOS' corpse was anything but fresh. It had had been laid to rest for many years, just as Chell had done. There was, of course, a noticeable difference, one that influenced a smirk to play on the woman's lips.

"_You know who ended up purging her; do you want to know who ended up taking her down in the end?_" Wheatley queried his voice whispery and mysterious, as though telling some old wives tale. "_You're not going to believe this: a human._"

In all honesty, due to Wheatley's less than brilliant history, Chell had expected that the core was simply building up a story to add a mystery ending with which no one could answer. Instead, it became apparent that no, Wheatley knew of a human that spelled the end of GLaDOS. Wheatley waved his handles around, "_I know! I know! I wouldn't believe it either. Apparently this human escaped and uh, no one's seen him since._"

Chell's shoulders slumped.

Poor little Wheatley was left pondering what he had said to produce such a reaction as Chell strolled through GLaDOS' chamber. It felt as though the woman had stepped into history; every emotion that raged inside her during the battle was prickling inside, reminding her just how close she met GLaDOS' fate. Feeling slightly sick, the woman swallowed thickly when she found the incinerator where fellow comrades in GLaDOS' reign had met their end.

Wheatley disrupted the woman's thinking, "_Then there was this long chunk of time where absolutely nothing happened and then there's us escaping now. So –um…that's pretty much the whole story. You're up to speed. Don't touch anything_," the core quickly requested when Chell reached for the incinerator.

Huffing at her unfortunate ability to come across bossy AIs, Chell turned to the left…to find a red arrow drawn onto the wall. Recognising the artist immediately, the woman followed the arrow. It led her back behind the incinerator. Before, there was just a wall. Now, however, due to the destruction of the chamber, walls had been torn down and the interior had been exposed. There were descending stairs past a curtain of plants.

"_Okay, just down here._"

And so Chell did. Her journey halted abruptly when the stairs cut off. Any guesses as to why? Chell bit her bottom lip, knowing all too well what she had to do but wasn't pleased about it. "_Jump!_" then the personality core reconsidered, "_Actually, looking at it, that is quite a distance, isn't it?_" It was. A chunk of stairs was gone, leaving a large gap between top and bottom. Chell grimaced. Despite her constant conflicts with gravity, she was still never completely happy about it. "_Okay, you know what? Go ahead and jump! You got braces on your legs. No braces on your arms though. Gonna have to rely on the old human strength to keep a grip on the Device, and by extension me. So do. Do make sure to maintain a grip_."

Chell briefly wondered if it was worth speaking up and informing Wheatley that she wasn't a total idiot. Just as Wheatley began to ramble to himself, Chell leapt off the ledge. A frightened cry burst from the personality core as they fell. Shivering from fear and the drop, the woman slammed her feet flat onto the ground, feeling the white boots absorb the impact. Wheatley gasped, "_Still held! Still being held! That's a great job. You've applied the grip. We're all fine. That's tremendous_."

After the slew of compliments, Chell proceeded in to the dark hallways below GLaDOS' chamber. It was odourless surprisingly and dry; so far untouched by the growing greenery. Chell clambered onto a catwalk and the personality core's bright blue eye flickered down then straight back up again when he gave another shocked cry, "_I-I'm sorry! I just looked down. I do not recommend it –AH! I just done it again!_"

Chell shushed him. Wheatley gave off the impression he was curling up into a ball.

Feeling slightly apologetic, the woman was about to say sorry when Wheatley forgot the dismissal, paying more attention to the tiny room located at the end of the catwalk. It was like all these devices and switches were crammed into a cylinder shaped elevator, much like those Chell travelled the science faculty through. Once again, it was much smaller. Chell squeezed herself inside. The walls were entirely layered with red and yellow switches. She could hardly see the top of the room. In the middle, on the ground, was an Aperture Science Core Input Receptacle. Wheatley made no attempts to be plugged in so Chell ignored it for now.

"_Okay, this is the main breaker room. Look for a switch that says 'ESCAPE POD', alright? Don't touch anything_," the personality core instructed, in awe at the amount of switches. "_Not interested in anything else. Don't touch anything else. Don't even look at anything else, just –well, obviously you've got to look at everything else to find 'ESCAPE POD,' but as soon as you've looked at something and it doesn't say 'ESCAPE POD,' look at something else, look at the next thing. Alright? But don't touch anything else or look at any –well, look at other things, but don't_ –"

"–Quiet," Chell hissed, sick and tired of the robot's rambling. She still did as the core told, too uninterested in Aperture Science to even think about a switch that wasn't for an escape pod. So it was not as though the robot had needed to say anything.

"…_y-you understand_," Wheatley hurriedly finished off. He personally didn't like being interrupted. He liked talking. Talking is nice.

Finding nothing on the bottom layer, Chell placed the portal gun (and therefore Wheatley) down and started to climb up, gripping tightly and stepping onto the lowered switches –not forcing activated switches to turn off, just in case that did something wrong and dangerous and most likely life-threatening. She grunted as she heaved her body up, almost slipping a couple of times. Wheatley stared at the woman, happy with her enthusiasm. It appeared she really wanted to get out.

"_Can you see it anywhere? I can't see it anywhere. Uh_…" Wheatley cringed as Chell lost her grip and fell ungracefully down. Luckily, she hadn't been too high up to cause major damage. However, there was certainly going to be a bruise tomorrow morning. Chell growled at her misfortune. "_Tell you what, plug me in and I'll turn the lights on_."

Wheatley didn't understand why Chell was looking as though she wanted to strangle him.

Chell rubbed her eyes when lights flashed upon Wheatley's attachment. "'_Let there be light.' That's, uh… God. I was quoting God_," the robot mumbled, quite shamefully. Chell was about to begin her search again when the Core Input Receptacle rotated, turning Wheatley to the right. The robot giggled, "_Oh look at that! Ominous. But probably fine. As long as it doesn't start moving up_…"

As Wheatley toyed with data, searching for the escape pod, Chell subconsciously drew the portal gun closer to her chest, feeling sparks of anxiety coming to life. Something…felt…off… Chell gasped when the ground whistled, then proceeded to ascend.

"_Oh, it's moving up_," Wheatley muttered awkwardly. Up and up the sudden elevator went, passing the switches, towards the ceiling that split open in the sharp angles of the Aperture Science logo. Chell swore she saw a switch labelled 'ESCAPE POD' but it was too late now. Panic clearly overriding any sense of calmness, Chell scrambled around the Core Input Receptacle, trying to figure a way off. The personality core wriggled in his spot, "_Okay, okay! No, don't move! Don't worry. I got it, I got it, I've got this! **This** should slow it down_…

"…_No, that just made it faster._"

Just before Chell's foot was about to kick the personality core, the elevator emerged out into GLaDOS' chamber –too bad it was still sunk-in, with the outer shell of the Receptacle too tall for Chell to climb over and out. Keeping the portal gun on the floor beside the trembling personality core, Chell struggled for another escape out of the Receptacle however she simply tumbled back down again.

"_Uh oh_…"

And Chell saw what was 'uh oh' when the cord connected to GLaDOS' head squirm.

"**Power-up Initiated_._**"

Something must have slammed into the woman, for Chell felt this gut-wrenching pain and started to shake, clutching the portal gun, out of comfort more than anything. Teeth grinding, chipping away teeth for all she knew, Chell could do nothing but watch as electric sparks whirled into the giant robot along with the sound of active machinery. She snapped out of her frightful daze when Wheatley cried, "_Okay, don't panic! All right? Stop panicking! I can still stop this! Um_…"

Swearing under her breath, Chell's boots groaned as they were scraped against the slippery walls of the Receptacle. The woman clawed at the walls, feeling like an animal desperate to flee its cage that spelled its forever imprisonment. _Not again_, Chell thought as she saw the pieces of GLaDOS' body wound itself together. She wasn't going through this again! "_Ah…oh, there's a password! O-o-okay, it's fine, I'll just –I'll just hack into it. Not a problem…um_…"

The cord that was, in effect, GLaDOS' neck pulled the head back towards the torso. Chell could barely seep oxygen into her lungs as she fretfully tried to leap and reach for the top of the walls only to slip back down to the distressed personality core. She heard the sound of tools clanging together, creating another burst of terror.

"_Um…A, A, A, A, A…and…A. Yes [BUZZER NOISE]_," Wheatley bulked at the rejection. Chell felt all hope dwindle away. GLaDOS' nearly repaired body was gathered up to hang from the ceiling again. "_Nope, okay. A, A, A, A, A...C [BUZZER NOISE]_"

"Wheatley! _Wheatley!_" Chell snapped. "Forget the password and help me up!"

The personality core was silent for a few seconds (taking in the excessive amount of words he just heard come out of the normally quiet woman) before falling back into the moment, "_No, no, wait! I didn't do it right! I think I forgot to try B. Do you have a pen? Start writing these down_."

Crouching down, Chell shrank as she watched the fully repaired GLaDOS rear her body towards them. The light that was her eye was still out, meaning she had not regained consciousness yet… there was still time…wasn't there? "**Power-up complete_._**" Or maybe not.

"_Okay. Okay. Now, listen. New plan. Act natural, act natural. We've done nothing wrong_," Wheatley advised, clearly just as terrified as his human companion. His blue eye had dimmed somewhat and was peering down, too scared to face the big bad guy.

Chell closed her eyes and took a steady breath. She'd done nothing wrong.

But GLaDOS was hardly going to believe that.

The yellow eye blinked open.

"_Hello!_" Wheatley greeted, adding an extra dose of sweetness. Chell gulped as the awakened GLaDOS drank in the sight of her destroyed chamber and then the invaded guests, particularly the all-too-familiar human.

"_**Oh. It's you.**_"

And oh, had Chell not missed that passive-aggressive voice.

"_Wait. You know **her**?_" Wheatley's eye darted back and forth between the females.

GLaDOS ignored the insignificant personality core and focused on the human, who tried to quench her fear and showed off a nasty glare instead. "_**It's been a loooong time. How have you been?**_"

Chell refused to answer back.

"_**I've been really busy being dead. You know, after you MURDERED me**_."

At the fury boiling in GLaDOS' words, Chell's grip on the portal gun tightened. Wheatley spluttered below her, "_Y-you did what!? T-that was you!?_"

Twisting down from the ceiling came two large mechanical claws. Neither of the pair was given the chance to escape. Chell's waist was clasped in a strong grip, purposely choking her. The other claw pinched the terrified personality core and tore it from the Receptacle. Chell scrambled in the grip, kicking at GLaDOS' direction and snarling at the very robot. Desperate, she also fired the portal gun everywhere which did nothing to aid in the situation.

"_Oh no! Nononono!_" Wheatley pleaded as the claw swung him around.

A pained gasp emitted from Chell when the claw clenched harder, pressing hard against her ribs, squeezing her like a lemon. "N-no!" she choked out. She seethed and pitifully pushed against the more powerful machine. "L-let go!"

"_No! No!_" Wheatley's panic increased when he was brought forward to GLaDOS.

"_**Okay. Look. We both said a lot of things that you're going to regret**_," GLaDOS said to her human enemy. The AI loved the way Chell was desperately reaching out for the personality core, sending a silent plea to let the robot go.

Wheatley's fearful crying was cut short when the claw crushed the little robot in its grip. Wheatley's blue eye lost its colour and blackened. His sides were dented and electric sparks escaped his body, paralleling to blood lost. Poor little Wheatley groaned miserably, overloaded with aching pain, but still taking the time to look to Chell and see how she was holding up.

The woman wasn't having it much better either.

Chell's breath trembled at the sight of her damaged ally. "W-Wheatley!" she fought against the claw again. "No! Let me go! Wheatley!"

Happy with the results (causing misery was so much fun) GLaDOS threw Wheatley away. The core's body smacked onto the ground and rolled into the dark greenery. Chell had no idea whether the robot was still alive or not. She wasn't given the chance to even check as GLaDOS continued their confrontation, "_**But I think we can put our differences aside. For Science. You monster**_."

Chell was lifted up high in the chamber, overlooking the entire place. Her brown eyes scanned the area, trying to find Wheatley. Nothing. But she realised that the claw was bringing her towards the incinerator. "_**I will say, though, that since you went to all the trouble of waking me up, you must really, really love to test**_."

GLaDOS got exactly the reaction she wanted: a hateful glare.

The incinerator opened its gaping mouth. There was no fire cooking down the dark pipe but it was definitely a long drop. Chell was dangled above it like a treat to a tempted dog. All this time, Chell's hands held onto the portal gun so strongly that taking it away from her would be like peeling off super glue, a hard task for those who do not know and not worth one's time.

"_**I love it too. There's just one small thing we need to take care of first**_." GLaDOS' words echoed as Chell was dropped and left to tackle the immense dive down.

~o0o~

Something must have gotten caught in her throat. She wishes air was blowing down her throat as easily as she was falling down this pipe. Now that she thought about it, it truly felt as though she was being swallowed up, making her way to the belly of Aperture Science. The laboratory had proved to be far larger than first perceived. When cool air wasn't filling up her lungs, it was uselessly whipping hair into her face and flapping loose patches of clothing around. It was also moving and pushing her like an ocean current, just like the Storage Cube tubes, ensuring the woman did not crash into the sides. Screaming was not an option either; beyond the lack of air reason, Chell was long passed emotions of fear. Now, she was simply anxious, waiting for the inevitable moment when she'd land in the empty unpowered incinerator.

Chell's thoughts wandered to Wheatley.

While the little bugger annoyed her, his companionship hadn't been awful.

And she'd never wish death upon anyone (unless they tried to kill her first).

The tunnel opened up like a funnel and exposed the incinerator in all its glory. Although Chell couldn't admire the view for long with the wind current propelling her body into a far corner. Her boots absorbed the impact once again but balance was lost and Chell tripped and smacked onto the ground. She didn't move. She just stayed still, sucking in air –in, out, in, out, in out –before finally getting up again.

Now that she wasn't being tossed about the place, like a Christmas gift no one in the family wanted but was too afraid to say no to the relative, she observed the incinerator. Or robot hell, take your pick. There were multiple tunnels connected to the incinerator that stretched out like tree branches over a deep hole in the ground. Chell pressed her back to the wall when she recognised the orange glow and burning heat frothing in that hole –so the incinerator was still up and running…barely.

It too revealed just how lonesome Aperture Science had been. No one had come down below to maintain the place. The incinerator was rusty and its fragmented pieces were chipping away bit by bit with every passing day. Debris from Chell's battle with GLaDOS had made its way here and luckily was assembled in a way that allowed the woman to crawl and climb across. As she did so, steadily traversing across a suspended pipe, GLaDOS spoke over the speakers, "_**Here we are. The incinerator room. Be careful not to trip over any parts of me that didn't get completely burned when you threw them down here**_."

Too be fair, Chell had not done that at all.

Chell released a high-pitch yelp when the pipe she was standing on creaked against a walkable section. It began to fall. Chell leapt and wrapped her arms around a tunnel, sacrificing her portal gun to the flames of the incinerator. The woman shakily heaved herself back up to a much safer position, stopping again for a quick breather and reminder of life, before continuing.

Taking note of the loss GLaDOS added, "_**The dual portal device should be around here somewhere. Once you find it, we can start testing. Just like old times**_."

As Chell crossed the last few 'bridges' she saw Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cubes tumbling down below, along with a few pieces of machinery. She was cranky with herself when a thought hoped the Companion Cube was okay. Chell was _never_ going to forgive GLaDOS for getting her attached to an inanimate object. Just as the woman was about to exit the incinerator she saw a sad little turret meet its end ("_Coming through!_") squealing desolately on the way down.

Leaving the incinerator brought Chell to a wrecked empty room. However what mattered most was a white object hidden in the mess of debris. A grin that swept Chell's features dwindled away when the AI spoke (she refused to share the same eagerness as that piece of –) "_**There it is. Hold on**_..."

Dislodged sections of the wall, crushed underneath the rubble, were lifted up by GLaDOS' control, moving away the garbage, granting Chell easier access to the dual portal device. "_**There**_." Chell picked it up and felt strangely cosy with the gun in her arms.

"_**You have a dual portal device. There should be a way back to the testing area up ahead**_."

There certainly was. Near the ceiling Chell could see the walls on the other side. She applied a blue portal there and stepped through an orange, landing on the other side. Just like old times. Chell's legs rattled upon slamming hard onto the ground. "_**Once testing starts I'm required by protocol to keep interaction with you to a minimum. Luckily, we haven't started testing yet. This will be our only chance to talk**_."

Chell journeyed through a few more ruined corridors, feeling nauseous. When she reached the end, she found herself in a ditch too tall to climb up on her own. Luckily, the walls dislocated themselves and lifted up the rubble; it also cleared away garbage hanging over the only portal-usable wall. "_**Here. Let me get that for you**_."

When the young woman arrived above the dip the crazy AI chatted on in the same monotonous voice with a faint layer of bitterness, "_**Do you know the biggest lesson I learnt from what you did? I discovered I have a sort of black-box quick-save feature. In the event of a catastrophic failure, the last two minutes of my life are preserved for analysis**_…"

As Chell gazed through shattered glass and into an empty room, she could tell where GLaDOS was going. "_**I was able –well, forced really –to relive you killing me. Again and again. Forever**_."

Hopping through portals into another room, Chell steadied her breathing, waiting for what the deranged psychopath to conclude. "_**You know, if you'd done that to somebody else, they might devote their existence to exacting revenge**_," GLaDOS seemed to like the sound of the very word 'revenge' and all the meaning around it. "_**Luckily, I'm a bigger person than that. I'm happy to put this all behind us and get back to work. After all, we got a lot to do, and only sixty more years to do it. More or less. I don't have the actuarial tables in front of me**_."

GLaDOS certainly knew how to press Chell's buttons. The woman grinded her teeth, tempted to call the robot many colourful names, but held back for the sake of concentrating on getting out of this mess. Nothing was ever easy for Chell, was it? A majority of that was at the fault of GLaDOS, with a surprisingly doozy dose of Wheatley. Chell could hardly blame herself. Everything good that had happened so far was because of her. Either way, Chell had to rely on herself, no one else, in order to get out of Aperture Science and _not_ be a test subject for sixty years. More or less.

Just as Chell began to climb over another chock full of mess, the unhinged walls removed the debris for her. "_**I'll just move that out of the way for you. This place really is a wreck**_."

While her path was being cleared, Chell inspected the area around her, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. The test chamber's screen flickered on and the woman's brown eyes widened. She was in test chamber 19, where purgatory had decided to dump her into hell. With the path now accessible, Chell strode through.

"_**But the important thing is you're back. With me. And now I'm onto all your little tricks. So there's nothing to stop us from testing for the rest of your life**_," it appeared GLaDOS remembered the events of test chamber 19 as well. Fantastic.

As Chell waited for the renovated elevator to come to her, she begrudgingly listened to GLaDOS' musings, "_**After that, who knows? I might take up a hobby. Reanimating the dead maybe**_."

Chell wished she could hurl every last mechanic piece of GLaDOS into a fire, again.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Portal.**

**Hi everyone. Sorry for being late but university has started again so I am now quite busy. Updates will be a lot slower and I apologise for that but I do want to pass my university subjects well. **

**I doubt this chapter was worth the wait considering its just test chambers but, at least, there's some GLaDOS and Chell interaction. Sorry if this chapter is dull. It's actually real hard to describe test chambers and make them interesting. **

~o0o~

**Chapter 2 -The Cold Boot**

**TEST 1 –01/22**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

The remaining screens around the elevator that were somehow still alive showed the high-energy pellet receptacle. However, instead of the fuzzy balls of melt-inducing energy, there was a steady beam of red light emitting from the device. Chell groaned inwardly, her traitorous mind conjuring up numerous fantasies of her burning from a laser. Chell was pulled from her thoughts when she tripped over rubble.

"_**Sorry about the mess**_," GLaDOS responded. "_**I've really let this place go since you killed me. By the way, thanks for that**_."

The announcer from the previous tests added, "**Sarcasm Self-Test complete**_._"

"_**Oh good, that's back online. I'll start getting everything else working while you perform this first simple test. This involves deadly lasers and how test subjects react when locked in a room with deadly lasers.**_"

Chell was tempted to harp back, "Annoyed," but knew that wasn't going to get her anywhere. So the woman approached the test chamber with confidence, recognising it as an adapted test chamber 6. Just like last time, Chell was required to use portals to send the activation energy from one receptacle to the other. This time, Chell just had to take a further step back in order to avoid frying the hair off her face when the laser beam was sent through. Drawing closer to the beam felt like nearing a fire.

A raising platform responded and moved up to the exit. Chell deflated at her time-consuming mistake. She moved the orange portal elsewhere, bringing the platform down so she could stand on it, and then fixed up the beam's road again so she was brought to the exit. Simple, just as the psychotic A.I. had said.

"_**Not bad. I forgot how good you are at this. You should pace yourself though. We have A LOT of tests to do**_."

~o0o~

**TEST CHAMBER 2 –02/22**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

**DISCOURAGEMENT REDIRECTION CUBE PRESENT**

"_**This next test involves Discouragement Redirection Cubes. I'd just finished building them when you had your, well, episode**_," GLaDOS informed."_**So now we'll both get to see how they work**_."

Chell hoped they weren't something that could kill her. She was relying on the 'redirection' definition of the cube's title.

"_**There should be one in the corner**_."

The chamber was two floors. Naturally, the exit was on the unreachable second floor. A laser beam crossed the test chamber, forcing Chell to leap over it like a jumping horse to reach the other side. A receptacle was also present which meant that it was important. Something clicked inside Chell when she thought back to the new cube's name…'redirection.' She smirked at the beam. Chell spotted the corner that GLaDOS was talking about, used a portal to sneak past the blocking wreckage and picked up the Discouragement Redirection Cube.

When Chell glanced up briefly and back down again, her heart froze for a split second. Darting her eyes back to the wall where she _swore_ she saw Wheatley, Chell's mood dropped when she saw nothing. The woman prayed she wasn't going to crazy already.

The Discouragement Redirection Cube was the exact same size as the Weighted Storage Cube but it weighed slightly less. It was plain white with grey edges. Beside its top and bottom, each of its size had a large round piece of glass in the centre. Chell could see the chamber looking through the lens. She noticed two of the four lens were curved which the woman guessed the beam would shoot out of when used.

Ah yes, about that. Chell jumped over the laser beam, the Redirection Cube held by her portal gun. Carefully, she brought the cube closer to the beam. It phased through the lens and came out the other curved end, angled elsewhere. Chell grinned and repositioned the cube to angle the beam towards the receptacle. She formed a right-angle with the cube. The beam activated stairs that lifted up to the exit.

She groaned when a Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button that opened the exit door was without a cube. Luckily, the Redirection Cube was on portal-usable ground so Chell transported the cube to her easily, deactivating the stairs. Soon, Chell was waiting in the elevator.

"_**Well done**_," GLaDOS chimed in. "_**Here come the test results: you are a horrible person. I'm serious, that's what it says: a horrible person. We weren't even testing for that**_."

~o0o~

**TEST CHAMBER 3 –03/22**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

**DISCOURAGEMENT REDIRECTION CUBE PRESENT**

Food was on Chell's mind when she clambered up the creaky stairs towards the chamber. It was quickly killed off when GLaDOS brought up a past conversation.

"_**Don't let that 'horrible person' thing discourage you. It's just a data point. If it makes you feel any better science has now validated your birth mother's decision to abandon you on a doorstep**_."

Grinding her teeth, Chell ceased her movement. Her mind was in turmoil over GLaDOS' words. If only the psychotic robot was not a psychotic robot but rather, a friendly robot that told the truth and wanted to help her. Chell had no idea whether GLaDOS' information on her so-called mother and apparent abandonment was true, but she hoped the psychotic robot was just mocking her.

But just because Chell had no recollection of her life, doesn't mean GLaDOS is unaware.

Inside the main test chamber Chell's feet were unable to find flat ground. She was constantly climbing and slipping up and down clumps of garbage. Along the way, GLaDOS was attending to the mess. Chell explored the chamber and found a particular…_something. _There was an opening in the wall. The woman doubted GLaDOS would lead her to a chamber with access to an escape but Chell crept down the ditch anyway. Inside, Chell saw more crazy drawings. One image was that of a mouth with the words **Vilify** spelt out on its teeth. Speech bubbles spewed from the mouth and human arms cascaded from the bottom lip towards a sea of black rings. Below, white text said: **Feels Like A Trial**. And then, the main message on the piece said, **Don't Even Try**.

Chell's stomach squirmed. What did that even mean? Don't try escaping? Don't try listening? What was she meant to do? Chell turned away from the work and gazed upon the other. Perhaps something a bit more cheerful would greet her. **TOO MANY VARIABLES! SUCKER'S LUCK. EXILE!** It truly felt like, at that moment, the artist had suddenly turned on her, shouting at her and her failure. But this caused a mixture of shame and fury to froth inside the woman. Sure, she had failed the first time but that wasn't her fault.

And it didn't mean that Chell was going to fail Escape Plan Part 2.

…But what if she did?

Upon the upper section Chell saw the Redirection Cube. She transported up there using her trusty portal gun. Upon doing so, the woman witnessed two laser beams activate. One was at a safe height –not too low or high, while the other was closer to the roof. Neither of the beams was pointing in the direction of their receptacles so Chell was doing a repeat of the last chamber, just a harder version. How wonderful.

GLaDOS shifted a platform from the ground high up and close to the middle safe beam. Chell was able to pick up the lens-covered cube and leap onto the platform, keeping as far away from the laser beam as possible. Suddenly that 'safe' beam got a whole lot more dangerous. What was Chell thinking actually describing it safe? That would be like calling GLaDOS friendly.

Once again, Chell used the cube to redirect the first beam to the receptacle at a nice 90 degree angle. Chell jumped back to the original location of the cube and found the second receptacle for the second top beam on the ceiling. Chell placed a portal where the second beam was nailing into the wall and then an orange on the floor to have the beam move straight to where it belonged. Chell smirked, watching everything that needed to be activated, get activated. Her boots absorbed the impact when she landed on the ground and moved pass the opened exit.

"_**Congratulations**_," GLaDOS said. Chell frowned at that. How unlike the A.I. – "_**Not on the test. Most people emerge from the suspension terribly undernourished. I want to congratulate you on beating the odds and somehow managing to pack on a few pounds**_." Ah, there she was.

Chell truthfully found the insult lacking. What, was she really meant to be offended by weight of all things?

~o0o~

**TEST CHAMBER 4 –04/22**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT **

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

It was a lot cleaner on this floor although that didn't mean much. Chell kicked at the floor, noticing the newest image on the remaining screens. A white stick figure on a blue background waving at her but it froze mid-wave before fuzzing up and dying completely. Why did that somehow feel like a parallel to Chell's luck?

"_**One moment**_," GLaDOS said. Chell scoffed silently and proceeded anyway. The woman's attempt at rebellion soon appeared pitiful when Chell understood why she was stopped. At the top of the stairs the entire entrance to the test chamber was blocked off by wreckage. As GLaDOS cleared it away the A.I. remarked, "_**You're navigating these test chambers faster than I can build them. So feel free to slow down and…do whatever it is you do when you're not destroying this facility**_."

Chell only _just_ bit back a snarky comment.

Test chamber 4 was dark and cold and looked like an abandoned swimming pool. Or, rather, the water had been drained and replaced with hazardous goo. Chell was standing on a balcony with portal-usable walls to her left. Across her, on a wall, was a Thermal Discouragement Beam. Its receptacle was, once again, in a test-fulfilling position. Bringing the beam to its home was simple enough but then Chell saw the scaffold move from the exit to an annex across her so that certainly dampened the woman's mood. She used her portals to get to the other side and then made the path for the beam again. There was a switch that sent through a Storage Cube. Chell picked it up and had another dampening moment when her fingers slipped, dropping the cube into the hazardous goo. She prayed the A.I. wouldn't make a comment.

With a new cube attached to the portal gun (since Chell apparently couldn't even trust her own fingers) she made it to the exit. Granted, she had to use the cube to protect her from the beam, proving the cubes were stronger than originally thought, but other than that, it was all good. "_**I'll give you credit. I guess you are listening to me**_," GLaDOS said as Chell placed the cube on the super-button. "_**But for the record, you don't have to go that slow**_."

~o0o~

**TEST CHAMBER 5 –05/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT **

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE**

**AERIAL FAITH PLATE PRESENT**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

As GLaDOS cleaned up a pile of Storage Cubes like the dutiful servant she was (Chell could only hope) Chell took note of the warnings on the test chamber sign. The 'aerial faith plate' picture depicted a stick figure being pushed up by some sort of catapult. Chell wondered whether she should even bother hoping for some luck anymore. This catapult looked just awful. Test chamber 5 was similar to the number 4, except bigger. Amongst the pool of goo there was a little island that was fashioned with an Aerial Faith Plate. Perfect. Chell saw her opening island had one too. The exit was up ahead.

"_**This next test involves the Aperture Science Aerial Faith Plate**_," Chell saw that her feet were planted on a blue target painted on the floor, just a metre away from the Plate."_**It was part of an initiative to investigate how well test subjects could solve problems when they were catapulted into space. Results were highly informative. They could not. Good luck!**_"

Well shit. Chell grumbled as a layer of black material skimmed off the walls and splashed loudly in the goo, dissolving in a matter of seconds. So, if the woman stuffed up the catapult she would get a nice bird's eye view of her death bed before landing. How wonderful. When Chell stood on tip-toe she was able to see that Exit Island had its own catapult, and a blue target. There was also a switch. An apparatus vent was stationed high up above the lone middle island's catapult.

Gulping at what she was about to do, Chell steadied her feet over the catapult. Just as the boot grazed the catapult a ripple of blue light flashed between the Plate and the bottom of Chell's white boot. A force was built from that ripple in a single second, launching the woman high up into the air. Immediately, the woman's body reacted the way anyone's would: flailing in panic. Despite the weak appearance of the Aerial Faith Plate, the science of the facility caused a reaction between the Plate and the boot that propelled the woman all the way to Exit Island, right on the target. Chell gasped upon landing, multiple swear words dispelling from her mouth.

She _hated_ this.

When Chell finally gathered her wits she pressed the switch and brought down a Storage Cube. It hit the Aerial Faith Plate on the middle island and was pushed up…then it fell down…then pushed up… then down it went again. Chell _did not_ want to do it again but _goddammit _she had to. Chell waited for the right moment to launch from the Aerial Faith Plate to propel past, grab the Storage Cube on the way, and land back at the beginning. She made it to the exit soon enough.

The last thing Chell needed, as she marched her down to the elevator, was an interesting fact. But… "_**Here's an interesting fact: you're not breathing real air. It's too expensive to pump this far down. We just take carbon dioxide out of the room, freshen it up a little, then pump it back in. So you'll be breathing the same room of air for the rest of your life. I thought that was interesting.**_"

~o0o~

**TEST 6 –06/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE STORAGE CUBE**

**AERIAL FAITH PLATE PRESENT**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID**

Blowing irritating bits of hair out from her mouth, Chell leaned against the inner walls of the elevator as it streamed through the science facility. She tapped the Device to her knee, wincing when it hit too hard, and waited for the elevator to arrive at the next test chamber. On the woman's mind was the artist and the messages he left behind. Now Chell found herself doubting her abilities. What was she to do if she failed? She couldn't keep testing forever. Hell, what could Chell even define as 'forever'? Till she died from the science of the facility or by old age? Neither sounded good and– hang on.

Chell realised suddenly what was wrong with her: she was depressed. Depressed! Of all things! She was acting all sad and miserable and sulky. Could you blame her, considering what had happened? But, Chell considered, this was _exactly_ what GLaDOS wanted. Chell straightened her back, dashed away any sad thoughts, and approached the set of stairs. There was no way this robot was going to cause such a reaction –

"_**Let's see what the next test is. Oh. Advanced Aerial Faith Plates**_," said GLaDOS.

–Crap. Chell sat herself down on the ground. She just needed a minute. That depression _thing_ was back. She hated those plates so damn–

"_**Well, have fun soaring through the air without a care in the world**_."

–If Chell ever got the chance to physically hold GLaDOS in her hands, by god, was she going to exploit the hell out of–

"_**I have to go to the wing that was made entirely out of glass and pick up fifteen acres of broken glass. By myself**_."

Chell didn't know how but GLaDOS seemed to have this uncanny ability of always interrupting her inner thoughts at the worst of times. What a depressing situation to be in.

At first glance of the large test chamber, Chell just wanted to curl up and die. At least if she did it, then it would be death by own hands rather than death by GLaDOS. The feeling was even more tempting when bits of the ceiling came crashing down into the bubbling goo. Particular islands equipped with their own Advanced Aerial Faith Plates were dotted here and there is a logical line that, with proper care, would spring an individual from one side of the chamber to the other without dissolving their bodies. Chell even noticed two spots to apply portals so that momentum would not be broken.

And off she went.

The swear words spewing from Chell's mouth as she soared through the air became so colourful they switched languages to Italian. Well that was one way for Chell to learn another factor about herself. Despite not being Italian, she somehow knew the language. Or, at least, a nice supply of swear swords. With Chell at the other end, right near the closed exit, the woman pressed a switch to send an Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube down the same path she just experienced. Except a cube wasn't the only thing granted wings.

"_**Oh, sorry, I'm still cleaning out the test chambers**_," GLaDOS said as Chell watched various objects zoom around the place. "_**So sometimes there's still trash in them. Standing around. Smelling and being useless. Try to avoid the garbage hurtling straight towards you**_."

Picking up the 'subtle' garbage insult, Chell altered the portals at the last moment so that the garbage was sent into another direction, straight into the office windows so that yes, she did avoid the garbage, thank you very much. The garbage successfully smashed through. Satisfaction warmed Chell's heart like a toasty fireplace but curiosity stoked the fire. She figured that a bit of exploration wouldn't go astray. So, placing GLaDOS and the test chamber at the back of her mind, Chell used her portals to get back to the start, reapplied the portals then soared into the violated workplace.

At what she saw Chell almost turned on her heels and left: another den.

The mysterious artist had taken refuge in the office, as evident in the empty cans of food and cartons of water. Unlike last time, when Chell first discovered the artist's dens, the leftovers inside the cans were dry and crumbling, signifying the crippling age of the office's visit. Oddly, there were two bright spheres, the size of Chell's head, rolled into a corner. Chell seized a familiar semi-circular radio. The same old music pumped through the speakers.

"_**You don't have to test with the garbage**_," GLaDOS told slowly, as though speaking to a young naïve child. "_**It's garbage. Press the button again**_."

GLaDOS' words barely registered with Chell distracted by the artwork colouring this den. It consisted of innocent cubes, reaching arms, and other science-y stuff etched on top of a splash of aqua blue paint. Reading the scratchy words Chell figured the artwork was titled, **Smooth Jazz**. Though Chell could hardly tell how the painted stages of the moon cycle across the work related in any way to smooth jazz. But Chell wasn't much of an artist anyway. It was then Chell's ears picked up a strange sound emitting from the radio. It was faint but to Chell it sounded like car alarms over squiggly popping noises. She carefully placed the radio down suddenly afraid it was going to blow up, or do-who-knows-what, on her.

Feeling slightly anxious at the weird sound, Chell left and hurled back to the switch. Before pressing it, the woman saw the annex where the super-button was waiting for a cube. It was too risky using a portal to access the place and come back. So Chell simply planted a blue portal above the super-button and then an orange right where the Weighted Cube would soar to when delivered by the Vital Apparatus Vent. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand. Perfect.

"_**Remember when I was talking before about smelly garbage standing around being useless? That was a metaphor. I was actually talking about you**_." Surprise, surprise. "_**And I'm sorry. You didn't react at the time, so I was worried it sailed right over your head**_." Ouch, so now GLaDOS was diminishing Chell's excursion to the office, not even acknowledging it as an act of defiance. "_**Which would have made this apology seem insane. That's why I had to call you garbage a second time just now**_." Thanks.

~o0o~

**TEST 7 –07/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO PROPELL FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**AERIAL FAITH PLATE PRESENT**

The question of food had arisen again like some gigantic beast from the depths of the ocean. Chell's stomach had not made a sound which, rather than ease her nerves, more frazzled them. If her body did not start demanding sustenance soon Chell was just going to assume Aperture Science had done something to her and immediately begin shouting. In the meantime… "_**Did you know that people with a guilty conscience are more easily startled by loud noises **_–?"

The suddenly blaring of a train's horn shook the elevator chamber, rattling the iron staircase. Admittedly, the sound had shocked her. In fact, Chell's feet had almost dislodged themselves from the boots. Goddammit.

"_**I'm sorry. I don't know why that went off**_," if GLaDOS had human shoulders she would have shrugged but her perfect timing was enough and did not require the use of pathetic human muscles whose only _real_ value was in the search for scientific knowledge. "_**Anyway, just an interesting science fact**_." Brought to you by the pathetic nature of human muscle.

Chell rubbed her temples, seriously irritated with that sudden disruption. I mean, goddammit, she had just murdered the psychotic robot. Nothing terrible or offensive by any means. Chell swung the portal gun, noting how smooth the device still was after all this time, and proceeded to the main chamber. She jumped over a Discouragement Beam to meet a cube. Chell was _this_ close to believing she had gone colour blind when she saw the pink blush of the cube meaning only one thing: a companion cube. But this couldn't be the same one. So it wasn't _that_ special.

Regardless, Chell used her portal to pick up the cube. Immediately, as though it had touched an Emancipation Grid, the companion cube dissolved into harmless specs (although, how harmless can something like specs be in a place like Aperture Science?). With Chell's mouth down in disbelief, the A.I. spoke up, "_**Oh. Did I accidentally fizzle that before you could complete the test? I'm sorry. Go ahead and grab another one**_."

Chell narrowly dodged another headache when a new companion cube dropped from the vent. With the cube safe in her portal's grasp, Chell attended to the test chamber. It looked fairly simple and was quite small in comparison to the previous tests so this shouldn't be too difficult. First, Chell would block the beam's path with the companion cube –

It dissolved again.

"_**Oh. No. Fizzled that one too**_."

Chell nudged the next companion cube with her boot. It stayed put. She dribbled the cube over to the beam. It stayed put…good. "_**Oh well. We have a warehouse FULL of the things. Absolutely worthless. I'm happy to get rid of them**_."

The psychotic robot received a surprise herself when the human gasped. Despite using the cameras to look to where the human had, GLaDOS saw nothing. How funny. The human was already going mad. Turns out, Chell had responded to a small round blue-eyed robot peeking out from behind the walls before huddling back in again. Chell decided right there and then: she was going mad. Seeing things that weren't really there.

With the beam blocked by the cube, a platform moved to the bottom level. Chell stood on it, moved the cube with portals, dragging the platform up again. After propelling up multiple levels with the trusty aid of the companion cube and a super-button Chell made it to the exit. When Chell landed in the elevator something spiked her interest. And GLaDOS answered just on time: "_**Every test chamber is equipped with an emancipation grill at its exit, so that the test subjects can't smuggle test subjects out of the test area. This one is broken**_."

So it is.

Chell couldn't help but smirk.

"_**Don't take anything with you**_," GLaDOS muttered darkly.

This was too good to be true. Chell applied a blue portal in a corridor between the exit and the elevator, came back to the chamber, snatched the companion cube and swept through the orange portal. Just as Chell stepped into the elevator the companion cube died away.

"_**I think that one was about to say 'I love you.' They ARE sentient of course. We just have A LOT of them**_."

Sentient?

Nonononononononononono –

~o0o~

**TEST 8 –08/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

**DISCOURAGEMENT REDIRECTION CUBE PRESENT**

Pushing the companion cube to the far _far_ corners of her mind, Chell ascended the staircase.

"_**This next test has emancipation grills. Remember? I told you about them in the last test area that did not have one**_."

The emancipation grid split the chamber into two which caused a real problem when a piping hot beam was on one side and its receptacle on the other. Chell climbed up into the side past the smoky blue grid. A switch also occupied the room. Chell's balance was altered when the area trembled. Lights blinked erratically. Chell frowned in confusion. "_**Ohhh, no. The turbines again. I have to go**_."

Yes!

"_**Wait**_ –"

_Nooo_

"_**This next test DOES require some explanation. Let me give you the fast version**_." Chell rolled her eyes when a sped-up explanation was delivered, too fast for any ear to understand. That robot was just _so_ damn funny. "_**There. If you have any questions, just remember what I said in slow motion. Test your own recognisance, I'll be right back**_."

Chell had already figured it out. She didn't need some explanation. On the right side of the grid there was a glass section complete with a hole. Chell was able to send an orange portal through. Then she pressed the switch and applied a blue portal and transported to the other side of the chamber. A redirection cube tumbled onto the ground. With the cube, Chell moved back through the portal. She used the cube to angle the beam to the receptacle, since the grid had no effect. Done!

And to top it all off, there was no frustrating robot making comment. No depressing thoughts there.

~o0o~

**And that was Chapter 2 of Portal 2. Chapter 3: the Return will be up next.**

**To answer a few questions: yes Chell does know Italian. I know it seems random but it does have a purpose...**

**And yeah, sorry if this bored the hell out of you. Review if you wish. I don't mind regardless. It's nice knowing people are even looking at this. Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Portal**

**Hello everyone. I apologise for taking so long with this. I was concentrating entirely on university (which I did really well at, yay!) and now it's the holidays...in which I have a job so I'm not entirely free. I've also become obsessed with other subjects but that doesn't mean this story is dead. I like to finish things. But again, the updates will just be slower. A lot slower. Sorry.**

**Chapter 3 -The Return**

**TEST 9 –09/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

**DISCOURAGEMENT REDIRECTION CUBE PRESENT**

**AERIAL FAITH PLATE PRESENT**

After placing her portals exactly where they were needed, Chell readied herself, then jumped onto the catapult. It pushed right up to the ceiling where a blue portal waited. The woman shut her eyes, wishing her mind wouldn't concentrate on that awful feeling of her stomach squirming in protest. The current test chamber had yet to show its true puzzle. One aspect of the puzzle was getting to the main one, which was what Chell was currently attending to –

"_Hey! Hey! It's me! I'm okay!_"

Chell's eyes snapped open. Before she could find the source of the familiar voice (and dash away any theories pointing to madness), her body fell back down towards the ground. The portal gun was waved around like a dolly as Chell frantically searched for the owner of that voice. She stopped when another cool voice returned.

"_**Well, I'm back. The Aerial Faith Plate in here is sending a distress signal**_."

So it was. It beeped in a real annoying way.

"_**You broke it, didn't you?**_"

Just to prove the robot wrong Chell stomped onto the plate. It didn't work unless you counted embarrassing a human being as its primary function. In that case, it worked magnificently. "_**There. Try it now**_."

This time, when Chell reached the ceiling, her mouth fell like a tumbling turret. Staring at her through the portals was the one and only Wheatley. While his round body was a tad dented the tiny robot was apparently fine, considering its big blue eye did not stop moving around as he rambled, "_You'll never believe what happened. There I was, just lying there, you thought I was done for, but_ –"

Chell didn't make it through the portal. Her boots absorbed the impact when she landed beside the plate. The woman forced herself to keep her eyes off the blue portal. GLaDOS wouldn't miss Chell looking at something like some sort of idiot. Speaking of… "_**Hmm. This Plate must not be calibrated to someone of your generous…ness. I'll add a few zeros to its maximum weight**_."

Did…GLaDOS just…?

Chell blew a stray lock of hair out of her vision, amazed at the great lengths the demented AI went through. As a couple of friendly beeps rang through the speakers GLaDOS added, "_**You look great by the way. Very healthy**_." Chell wondered whether she should bother letting the robot know that 'subtly' calling her fat wasn't much of an insult

OR

Let GLaDOS continue on her rampage, unknowingly humiliating herself.

_Oh_, the choices….

"_**Try it now**_."

Up and up and up and, "_A bloody bird! Right? Couldn't believe it either! And then the bird_ –"

Hearing that a bird had somehow managed to crawl its way into this place and fiddle around with the fate of moronic robots, actually gave Chell some confidence. It made her realise that perhaps she wasn't as far away from the outside world as first perceived.

"_**You seem to have defeated its load-bearing capacity. Well done. I'll just lower the ceiling**_."

The ceiling screeched as it came closer. Now certain that the Wheatley she had seen was real and not created from madness, Chell concentrated on the test chamber. If that robot was still alive then anyone could survive Aperture Science. Chell held back a determined smirk so GLaDOS did not recognise the confidence brewing inside the test subject. All Chell needed to do now was keep GLaDOS centred on testing her and making sad fat quips.

Wheatley had already huddled back into the depths of the science facility, luckily. Chell saw that the chamber was another slightly difficult one, handling the lasers and cubes. The biggest problem was using the beginning catapult multiple times which meant being slammed into walls, probably eating away precious brain cells at every bump.

When Chell reached the exit, GLaDOS said, "_**Look at you. Sailing through the air majestically. Like an eagle. Piloting a blimp**_."

~o0o~

**TEST 10 –10/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE STORAGE CUBE**

**PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**PREPARE TO PROPELL FROM HIGH LEDGES**

**AERIAL FAITH PLATE PRESENT**

**MIND THE THERMAL DISCOURAGEMENT BEAM**

**DISCOURAGEMENT REDIRECTION CUBE PRESENT**

"_**Enjoy this next test. I'm going to go to the surface. It's a beautiful day out.**_ _**Yesterday I saw a deer**_." It felt like GLaDOS was prying through Chell's brain, stringing apart the brain tissue, all in the effort to figure out what boiled the woman's anger the most. This time, the AI hit the target. "_**If you solve this next test maybe I'll let you ride an elevator all the way up to the break room, and I'll tell you about the time I saw a deer again**_."

Chell sighed heavily at the newest test chamber. Onions had fewer layers than this beast. Catapults dotted the place here and there but their paths were occasionally blocked by raised platforms. Chell saw a Weighted Storage Cube higher up, only accessible through flinging. It was spinning around like a dish in a waiter's palm. Once Chell had her order, she allowed herself to be pushed from a catapult into a wall, just missing a laser. Inspecting her arm for any damage from taking that hit, Chell came to a realisation that her body was going to be blue and purple by tomorrow (whenever 'tomorrow' was).

Placing the storage cube to prevent the laser reaching its receptacle, Chell watched, satisfied, as the platforms lowered down to a flat surface. Using her portals, Chell went back to the starting point and was shot up, successfully moving to the next catapult pinned to the back wall. On the third level where she ended up, another set of platforms prevented the woman from shooting right into the open area. A switch was present and pressed. A Redirection cube fell to the ground, landed on the catapult and experienced the same roller-coaster journey as Chell.

Thinking for a few minutes paved Chell's following moves. She replaced the Weighted Storage Cube with the Redirection Cube, pointing the laser to a portal-usable wall. Chell impatiently brought herself and the Storage Cube back up to the third floor where all she needed to do was apply another portal on a wall to bring the laser to the second receptacle. The platforms on that floor lowered. Now, Chell's path was completely clear.

When she arrived at the exit, Chell gleefully settled the Storage Cube onto the Button and stepped on through. Chell wondered if GLaDOS was really going to bother informing her about a deer or just continue with the testing. The woman knew she could handle a story about a deer. It was just a deer, after all. Not a human or anything.

"_**Well, you passed the test. I didn't see the deer today. I did see some humans. But with you here I got more test subjects than I'll ever need**_."

~o0o~

**TEST 11 –11/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**HARD LIGHT BRIDGE PRESENT**

Chell stared at the flat wide ray of shining blue light. She had seen some strange stuff in Aperture Science that would outright offend religious fundamentalists but this one took the cake. Hesitantly, the woman stretched out her arm and hovered her hand over the blue light. She felt warmth radiating off the oddity. Ripples shaped like DNA snaked down to the ray, spinning in a hazy comforting pace similar to a sleepy easy summer's day. A tiny smile, Chell would never admit to having, slowly crept upon her face. She reckoned summer must have been her favourite season, or maybe everything about the outside world seemed wonderful in Aperture Science.

Finally, Chell placed her palm onto the ray. It was like touching a hot plate; the heat was pleasant at first but gradually got too hot to hold. Chell lifted her hand. The ray looked so inviting, like a cosy bed. She pondered over what it would feel like to lie on it. "_**These bridges are made from natural light that I pump in from the surface. If you rubbed your cheek on one, it would be like standing outside with the sun shining on your face. It would also set your hair on fire, so don't actually do it**_."

The human instantly moved her head back. Just to be sure, Chell freed her dark brown hair to tie up into a stronger pony-tail to ensure maximum protection against combustion. Certain on the strength in her boots, Chell stepped onto the bridge, surprised to find the ray of light supporting her. It felt like walking on a normal steady bridge, as though made from cement instead of light. It also warmed the woman like bread in a toaster.

As one might expect, the bridge brought Chell to the chamber, as it is the purpose of bridges to transport something from one place to another. Compared to the previous test, this appeared far simpler. It just happened to have toxic goo, avoidable thanks to the light bridge. The bridge's path was blocked by a wall. Chell used portals to have the bridge stretch and cross to the other side, its newer path currently directly above her. Slipping through the blue portal, Chell gazed down where she was previously. Cautiously, she made it to the other side where a switch was. A wave of storage cubes dropped from a corner in the chamber, only accessible through a narrow winding hallway, with a stream of goo beneath. The light bridge helped Chell in catching a cube and making it back to the button which was located in another tight spot. Overall, simple. Too bad it involved Chell making leaps of faith by applying the bridge and then having to jump to it. The contents of her stomach nearly mixed with the goo a couple of times.

"_**Excellent! You are a predator and these tests are your prey. Speaking of which, I was researching sharks for an upcoming test. Do you know who else murders people trying to help them?**_" Chell was about to step onto the elevator but its doors shut and it shot away leaving a very unhappy human. "_**Did you guess 'sharks'? Because that's wrong. The correct answer is nobody. Nobody but you is that pointlessly cruel**_."

~o0o~

**TEST 12 –12/22**

**VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT**

**MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE STORAGE CUBE**

**MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH**

**AERIAL FAITH PLATE PRESENT**

**HARD LIGHT BRIDGE PRESENT**

Intrigued by the bridges of light Chell tried to observe a presentation on these inventions. Around the elevator, screens showed diagrams of the bridge and how the science behind it worked. It was a truly fascinating and interesting presentation that would have convinced Chell to become a scientist, despite her current conflict with it, and go on to discover cures to many numerous fatal illnesses that would save countless lives and families. All that unrealised potential was destroyed when GLaDOS switched the screens off, wanting the human to pay attention to her.

"_**Good news. I figured out what to do with all that money I save recycling your one roomful of air. When you die, I'm going to laminate your skeleton and pose you in the lobby. That way, future generations can learn from you how not to have your unfortunate bone structure**_."

Chell guessed that to be another fat joke but it was so poor she almost missed it. The woman halted when the access to the chamber was blocked by malfunctioning wall plates. She sighed and glanced up at the thin horizontal fuzzy windows to her right.

"_**Perfect, the door's malfunctioning. I guess somebody's going to have to repair that too. No, don't get up. I'll be right back. Don't touch anything**_." A bubbly click signalled the AI's leave. Chell groaned loudly and punched at the ruined chamber door. On one hand, it was fantastic that she was able to snatch a break but on the other, she wanted to discover a way out and being stuck in a plain boring corridor did not help.

"_Hey! Hey! Up here!_"

Gasping, Chell turned and found Wheatley. He was on the other side of the windows, his waving image distorted from the window's glass texture. "Wheatley," the woman acknowledged, keeping her voice low just in case.

"_I found some bird eggs up here_," Wheatley said. "_Just dropped them into the door mechanism. Shut it right down_ –" Just as Chell allowed a smile, a crow swooped into the scene and began pecking at the little robot. Wheatley cried out and tried to dodge the bird's attack, failing quite miserably. "_BIRD! BIRD! BIRD! BIRD!_" He retreated.

"Wheatley!" Chell snapped. She called out his name again.

Panting with it non-existent lungs, Wheatley returned and continued casually, "_Okay. That's probably the bird isn't it? That laid the eggs! Livid! Okay, look, the point is, we're gonna break out of here! Very soon! I promise, I promise! I just have to figure out how. To break us out of here._" He almost whimpered at the glower he received from the human. Who knew humans could be so grumpy? "_Here she comes! J-just keep testing! Keep testing. Remember: you never saw me_."

Sometimes, Chell wished that was true.

Inside the test chamber, Chell's mind flipped back and forth between cracking the quiz and listening to the GLaDOS. "_**I went and spoke with the door mainframe. Let's just say he won't be…well, living anymore. Anyway, back to testing**_."

Near the beginning of the testing, Chell was strolling along a light bridge when she spotted a portal-usable wall in a hole of the ceiling. She connected that to the bridge and saw that it did not stream straight down into the goo but rather found a landing area inside the ceiling. She stepped through. Chell smacked against the floor, disoriented by the change of perspective. Getting back onto her feet, the woman observed another hidden den. A collection of empty dried cans were found below another artwork. It was of GLaDOS, looking straight at its audience asking with a speech bubble, 'Who are you?' Cartoony electric strikes zapped from her engine and an orange hue surrounded the robot's face. Unnerved by such a sight, Chell returned to the chamber and completed it.

"_**Well done. In fact, you did so well that I'm going to note this on your file, in the commendations section. Oh, there's a lot of room here. Did well…enough**_."

Chell had no idea whether GLaDOS was referring to the test or the discovery of the den and its art. Frustratingly, she found herself too afraid to ask.

~o0o~

**And that is the beginning of Chapter 3 of Portal 2 and Chapter 9 of my novelisation. Sorry for any grammar or spelling issues. Review if you wish. Thanks for reading!**


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